Mitchell Johnson (painter)
Encyclopedia
Mitchell Johnson is a contemporary painter. Born in 1964, in Rock Hill, South Carolina
, he currently paints in Palo Alto, California
as well as in Buonconvento
, Italy
; Meyreuil
, France
and Bornholm
, Denmark. Johnson earned his M.F.A. at Parsons School of Design in 1990 where he studied with Larry Rivers
, Paul Resika
, Leland Bell
, Robert de Niro, Sr.
, Nell Blaine
and John Heliker - all former students of Hans Hofmann
.
, and at Randolph-Macon College
where he studied with Ray Berry and earned a bachelor of science degree in computer science. He studied with Jo Weiss, Lee Newman, Jack Boul and David Holt at the Washington Studio School, Washington, D.C.
, from 1987 to 1988, and attended graduate school at Parsons School of Design, New York City
.
During graduate school, Johnson supported himself doing odd jobs for various NY artists, most notably Frank Stella
, Sol LeWitt
, Sandy Skoglund
and Stella's assistant, Earl Childress. In the fall of 1990, while waiting to hear if he would be able to join LeWitt's Wall Drawing Team, Johnson was offered a studio assistant job with Sam Francis
and this is what landed him in Palo Alto. He has since divided his time between California and Europe.
In 2007 he was an artist-in-residence at the Josef
and Anni Albers
Foundation in Bethany, Connecticut
. His paintings can be found in over 300 private collections and 10 US Museums. His work has been the subject of solo-exhibitions in Milan, New York, Santa Fe, San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Helena, Portland and Scottsdale.
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Rock Hill is the largest city in York County, South Carolina and the fourth-largest city in the state. It is also the third-largest city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, behind Charlotte and Concord, North Carolina. The population was 71,459 as of . Rock Hill has undergone rapid growth between...
, he currently paints in Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
as well as in Buonconvento
Buonconvento
Buonconvento is a comune in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about south of Florence and about southeast of Siena in the area known as the Crete Senesi.-History:...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
; Meyreuil
Meyreuil
Meyreuil is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France, about from Aix en Provence.-Geography:Located from Aix-en-Provence, the commune of Meyreuil is sheltered in the northeast by the mountain Montagne Sainte-Victoire, and the district of Canet is separated from the chief...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Bornholm
Bornholm
Bornholm is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea located to the east of the rest of Denmark, the south of Sweden, and the north of Poland. The main industries on the island include fishing, arts and crafts like glass making and pottery using locally worked clay, and dairy farming. Tourism is...
, Denmark. Johnson earned his M.F.A. at Parsons School of Design in 1990 where he studied with Larry Rivers
Larry Rivers
Larry Rivers was an American artist, musician, filmmaker and occasional actor. Rivers resided and maintained studios in New York City, Southampton, New York and Zihuatanejo, Mexico.-Biography:...
, Paul Resika
Paul Resika
Paul Resika was born and raised in 1928 in New York City. He is a well-known New York artist who chaired the Parsons School of Design MFA program from 1978-1990. He is a member of the National Academy and a former student of Hans Hofmann.-External links:**...
, Leland Bell
Leland Bell
Leland Bell was an American painter.Leland Bell was a self-taught painter whose passion for the discipline of painting has inspired and influenced many. He was also a fierce advocate for artists that he admired like Karl Knaths, Jean Arp, Piet Mondrian, Balthus, Alberto Giacometti, André Derain,...
, Robert de Niro, Sr.
Robert De Niro, Sr.
Robert Henry De Niro, Sr. was an American abstract expressionist painter and the father of actor Robert De Niro.-Life and career:...
, Nell Blaine
Nell Blaine
Nell Blair Walden Blaine was an American landscape painter and watercolorist.-Life:She studied at the Richmond School of Art....
and John Heliker - all former students of Hans Hofmann
Hans Hofmann
Hans Hofmann was a German-born American abstract expressionist painter.-Biography:Hofmann was born in Weißenburg, Bavaria on March 21, 1880, the son of Theodor and Franziska Hofmann. When he was six he moved with his family to Munich...
.
Education
Johnson studied drawing and painting in high school at Staten Island AcademyStaten Island Academy
Staten Island Academy is a coeducational, college-preparatory day school located on a campus in Staten Island in New York City, USA. Founded in 1884 by Anton Methfessel, it is the oldest private school on Staten Island, and is the only independent school in the borough. It educates students from...
, and at Randolph-Macon College
Randolph-Macon College
Randolph–Macon College is a private, co-educational liberal arts college located in Ashland, Virginia, United States, near the capital city of Richmond. Founded in 1830, the school has an enrollment of over 1,200 students...
where he studied with Ray Berry and earned a bachelor of science degree in computer science. He studied with Jo Weiss, Lee Newman, Jack Boul and David Holt at the Washington Studio School, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, from 1987 to 1988, and attended graduate school at Parsons School of Design, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
During graduate school, Johnson supported himself doing odd jobs for various NY artists, most notably Frank Stella
Frank Stella
Frank Stella is an American painter and printmaker, significant within the art movements of minimalism and post-painterly abstraction.-Biography:...
, Sol LeWitt
Sol LeWitt
Solomon "Sol" LeWitt was an American artist linked to various movements, including Conceptual art and Minimalism....
, Sandy Skoglund
Sandy Skoglund
Sandy Skoglund is an American photographer and installation artist.Skoglund creates surrealist images by building elaborate sets or tableaux, furnishing them with carefully selected small children and other objects, a process of which takes her months to complete. Finally, she photographs the set,...
and Stella's assistant, Earl Childress. In the fall of 1990, while waiting to hear if he would be able to join LeWitt's Wall Drawing Team, Johnson was offered a studio assistant job with Sam Francis
Sam Francis
Samuel Lewis Francis was an American painter and printmaker.-Early life:...
and this is what landed him in Palo Alto. He has since divided his time between California and Europe.
In 2007 he was an artist-in-residence at the Josef
Josef Albers
Josef Albers was a German-born American artist and educator whose work, both in Europe and in the United States, formed the basis of some of the most influential and far-reaching art education programs of the 20th century....
and Anni Albers
Anni Albers
Annelise Albers was a German-American textile artist and printmaker. She is perhaps the best known textile artist of the 20th century.-Life:...
Foundation in Bethany, Connecticut
Bethany, Connecticut
Bethany is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,040 at the 2000 census. Bethany was first settled in 1717 but it was not until May 1832 that Bethany separated from Woodbridge to become incorporated as a town. This slightly remote, sparsely populated,...
. His paintings can be found in over 300 private collections and 10 US Museums. His work has been the subject of solo-exhibitions in Milan, New York, Santa Fe, San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Helena, Portland and Scottsdale.
External links
- Teleculture article (Jan 2005)
- Mitchell Johnson website: paintings, exhibits, biography
- Mitchell Johnson at Terrence Rogers Fine Art
- Palo Alto Online (May 2007)
- Los Gatos Art Museum presents itsmost important show ever' 12/29/2008
Books
- Mitchell Johnson: Paintings (1997) by Donia Bijan and Annette Samec-Luciani
- Mitchell Johnson: Paesaggio e non Paesaggio (1999) by Martina Corgnati, W.S. DiPiero, and Claude Pichevin
- Mitchell Johnson: Selected Work (2001) by W.S. DiPiero and Sara Fontana
- Mitchell Johnson (2004) by Peter Campion
- Mitchell Johnson: New Paintings (2005) by Mitchell Johnson & Peter Campion
- Mitchell Johnson: Color, Context and Perception (2006) by Mitchell Johnson
- Mitchell Johnson Doppio Binario (2007) by Marilena Pasquali
- Mitchell Mitchell Johnson: Concerning Color (2008) by Mitchell Johnson & Deborah Trilling
- Mitchell Johnson: Here and Now (2008) by Mitchell Johnson
- Peter Selz Interviews Mitchell Johnson (2009) by Peter Selz & Mitchell Johnson