John Seward Johnson II

John Seward Johnson II

Infobox Person
name = John Seward Johnson II


image_size = 250px
caption =
birth_date = 1930
birth_place = New Jersey
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Sculptor
spouse = Joyce
parents = J. Seward Johnson &
Ruth Rapalje Neilson Dill
children =

John Seward Johnson II (born 1930), also known as J. Seward Johnson, Jr. and Seward Johnson is an American sculptor known for his "trompe l'oeil" bronze painted sculptures. While early in his life, his artistic life focused on painting, he turned his talents to sculpture in 1968. Mr. Johnson is most well known for his life-size cast bronze statues of people of all ages engaged in day-to-day activities such as a father teaching his child to ride a bike, a woman sunbathing, and two people on a park bench. He is the son of J. Seward Johnson

Examples of his work include:
*"The Awakening" (1980), his largest and most dramatic work, is a 70-foot five-part sculpture that brings to life a giant trying to free himself. It was located at Hains Point in Washington, D.C., for nearly 28 years, but was sold and relocated to Prince George's County, Maryland in February 2008,
*"Double Check" (1982), a statue of a man checking his briefcase. It was in Liberty Plaza Park across from the World Trade Center. Photos of the damaged and dust covered statue were among the iconic photographs taken following the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. A restored statue has been returned to the now-renamed Zuccotti Park,
*"Hitchhiker" (1983), a statue along the side of a road leading away from the campus of Hofstra University,
* "Allow Me" (1984), a statue of man holding an umbrella, located in Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland, Oregon,
* "First Ride", a statue of a father helping his young daughter learn to ride a bike, and
* "Déjeuner Déjà Vu" (1994), located at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, a three-dimensional recreation of Edouard Manet's painting, "Le déjeuner sur l'herbe". [http://www.sewardjohnson.com/collection/paintings/sub-sub-B/sub-sub-sub-details/sub_sub_sub_detail_06.html]

He is past President of the International Sculpture Center of Washington, D.C., and created the Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture, an educational, non-profit art casting and fabrication facility, in 1974 as a means of fostering young sculptors' talents. He was selected by the United States Information Agency as the only sculptor to represent the United States at the World EXPO celebration in Seville, Spain.

He is the grandson of Robert Wood Johnson, the founder of Johnson & Johnson Corporation. He was disinherited from his father's will, which left nearly all of his father's half-billion-dollar fortune to Basia Johnson, his father's wife of twelve years, a former servant. The dispute was written about in "Undue Influence: The Epic Battle for the Johnson & Johnson Fortune" (1993, ISBN 0-688-06425-6).

Johnson's nephew, Jamie (son of Jimmy Johnson), produced and directed a 2003 documentary, "Born Rich", which premiered at Sundance Film Festival and aired on HBO to generally favorable reviews.

In addition to his artistic endeavors, Johnson is the former President of a large oceanographic research institution in Florida, the publisher of a science magazine, and the founder of an off-Broadway theater in New York. A comprehensive book, "Celebrating the Familiar: The Sculpture of J. Seward Johnson, Jr." (ISBN 0-912383-57-7), was published in 1987.

His 2003 show at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, "Beyond the Frame: Impressionism Revisited," which was sculptures of famous Impressionist paintings, was a success with audiences but was critically panned. [Blake Gopnik, Washington Post. "A Bad Impression. At the Corcoran Gallery, Seward Johnson's Travesty in Three Dimensions" [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A62842-2003Sep11&notFound=true] ] Lynette Clemonson, "Corcoran, After Dispute, Casts About for New Path" [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/28/arts/design/28corc.html?pagewanted=print] ]

External links

* [http://www.sewardjohnson.com/ The sculptor's website]
* [http://www.atelier.org/ Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/01/nyregion/01cnd-park.html]

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • John Seward Johnson II — Naissance 1930 New Jersey, États Unis Activité(s) Sculpteur …   Wikipédia en Français

  • John Seward Johnson I — Infobox Person name = John Seward Johnson I image size = 250px caption = birth date = July 14, 1895 birth place = New Brunswick, New Jersey death date = May 23, 1983 death place = Fort Pierce, Florida occupation = Aviator spouse = 1) Esther… …   Wikipedia

  • Seward Johnson — may refer to: *John Seward Johnson I *John Seward Johnson II …   Wikipedia

  • John Seward — John Seward, M.D. is a fictional character appearing in Bram Stoker s 1897 novel Dracula. In the novel Seward is the administrator of an insane asylum not far from Count Dracula s first English home, Carfax. Throughout the novel, Seward conducts… …   Wikipedia

  • John Seward — Este artículo o sección necesita referencias que aparezcan en una publicación acreditada, como revistas especializadas, monografías, prensa diaria o páginas de Internet fidedignas. Puedes añadirlas así o avisar …   Wikipedia Español

  • Mary Lea Johnson Richards — Born August 20, 1926(1926 08 20) New Brunswick, New Jersey Died May 3, 1990(1990 05 03) (aged 63) Pittsburgh, PA Occupation Entrepreneur, Broadway producer …   Wikipedia

  • John Caldwell Calhoun — (* 18. März 1782 Calhoun Mills bei Abbeville im Abbeville County, South Carolina; † 31. März 1850 in Washington D. C.) war der 7. Vizepräsident der Vereinigten Staaten von 1825 bis 1832 u …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Q. Adams — John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (* 11. Juli 1767 in Braintree (heute: Quincy), Norfolk County, Massachusetts; † 23. Februar 1848 in Washington D.C.) war amerikanischer Politiker, 6 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Quince Adams — John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (* 11. Juli 1767 in Braintree (heute: Quincy), Norfolk County, Massachusetts; † 23. Februar 1848 in Washington D.C.) war amerikanischer Politiker, 6 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Robert Wood Johnson I — Infobox Person name = Robert Wood Johnson I image size = 100px caption = birth date = February 15, 1845 birth place = Carbondale, Pennsylvania death date = February 7, 1910 (Aged 64) death place = New Brunswick, New Jersey occupation =… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”