John Seward Johnson II
Encyclopedia
John Seward Johnson II also known as J. Seward Johnson, Jr. and Seward Johnson is an American
artist
known for his trompe l'oeil
painted bronze
statues, and a grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I
(co-founder of Johnson & Johnson
).
He is best known for his life-size bronze statues, which actually are casting
s of living people of all ages depicting them engaged in day-to-day activities. A large staff of technicians perform the fabrication.
, and his mother was Ruth Dill, the sister of actress Diana Dill
, therefore making him a first cousin of actor
Michael Douglas
. Johnson grew up with five siblings: Mary Lea Johnson Richards
, Elaine Johnson, Diana Melville Johnson, Jennifer Underwood Johnson, and James Loring "Jimmy" Johnson. His parents divorced around 1937, and his father remarried two years later, producing his only brother Jimmy Johnson, making him an uncle to film
director Jamie Johnson.
Johnson attended Forman School
for dyslexics and University of Maine
, where he majored in poultry husbandry, but did not graduate. Johnson also served four years in the Navy during the Korean War.
until he was fired by his uncle Robert Wood Johnson II
, in 1962.
His early artistic efforts focused on painting, after which he turned to sculpture in 1968. Examples of his statues include:
For statues made recently in a series named, Iconic, by Johnson, many of which are very large, a computer program is employed that translates two-dimensional images into statues that are constructed by a machine driven by the program. Often, these subjects are images that already are well known as the works of others, generating heated ethical controversies regarding copyright infringement
and derivative works due to substantial similarity
issues.
Johnson's works were selected by the United States Information Agency
to represent the freedoms of the United States in a public and private partnership enterprise representation sponsored by General Motors
and many other U.S. corporations at the World EXPO celebration in Seville
, Spain
during 1992.
" by an art professor and critic at Princeton University, who explained its rejection as he was commenting on a controversy raging about the work in New Haven, Connecticut
, and the label has dogged him throughout his career.
His cast statues and imitations of famous creations by others have not been well received in professional art circles. Some of them include the use of computer-driven designs from images of original artworks by others that are being presented as Johnson's original artwork.
Software such as Maya is capable of producing such designs and greatly enlarging them mechanically, without artistic modeling
. They can be cut into styrofoam
, plastic, and other materials. Inexpensive metals such as aluminum now are being used in Asia for second-generation copies of works he first had executed in bronze from casts of living people and later statues that are computer generated.
Robert Hughes
, the art critic of the New York Times, and numerous other art critics claim that his work is not art.
His 2003 show at the Corcoran Gallery of Art
, "Beyond the Frame: Impressionism Revisited," which presented his statues imitating famous Impressionist paintings, was a success with audiences, but was panned by professional art critics of national stature and drew strong criticism from curators at other museums about a prominent museum of fine art
presenting an exhibit of his kitschy work.
Johnson created the Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture, an educational, nonprofit casting and fabrication
facility in 1974 as a means of fostering young sculptors' talents, while creating a foundry designed to construct his statues that is so well-equipped and staffed that it is chosen by many renowned sculptors. Johnson has stopped using it, however, having his own large statues made in China.
He also founded an organization called The Sculpture Foundation, to promote his works. In 1987, he published Celebrating the Familiar: The Sculpture of J. Seward Johnson, Jr. (ISBN 0-912383-57-7)
Johnson purchased the old New Jersey Fairgrounds in Hamilton, New Jersey
and in 1992 founded the Grounds for Sculpture
to display his works and to provide a venue for outdoor displays. In 2000 it was converted to a nonprofit organization with the same intent.
He is former president of the International Sculpture Center
of Hamilton, New Jersey
, which publishes a magazine out of offices in Washington, D.C.
Johnson also is the former president of a large oceanographic research institution in Florida founded by his father, the publisher of a science magazine, and the founder of an off-Broadway theater in New York.
, his father's wife and former chambermaid. He and his siblings sued on grounds that their father wasn't mentally competent at the time he signed the will. It was settled out of court, and the children were granted about 12% of the fortune.
Johnson was formerly married to Barbara Kline. She often engaged in extramarital affairs in their home, driving Johnson to attempt suicide. In 1965, he acknowledged paternity to Jenia Anne "Cookie" Johnson without a DNA test, to speed up the divorce process. Years later, Johnson's family had a legal battle regarding Cookie Johnson's eligibility for a share in the Johnson & Johnson fortune. The court ruled in favor of the latter.
Johnson later married Joyce Horton, a novelist. They have two children: John Seward Johnson III and actress Clelia Constance Johnson who goes by the name India Blake.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
known for his trompe l'oeil
Trompe l'oeil
Trompe-l'œil, which can also be spelled without the hyphen in English as trompe l'oeil, is an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions.-History in painting:Although the phrase has its origin in...
painted bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
statues, and a grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I
Robert Wood Johnson I
Robert Wood Johnson I was an American industrialist. He was also one of the three brothers who founded Johnson & Johnson.-Early life:...
(co-founder of Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
).
He is best known for his life-size bronze statues, which actually are casting
Casting
In metalworking, casting involves pouring liquid metal into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowing it to cool and solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process...
s of living people of all ages depicting them engaged in day-to-day activities. A large staff of technicians perform the fabrication.
Early life
Johnson was born in New Jersey. His father was John Seward Johnson IJohn Seward Johnson I
John Seward Johnson I was one of the sons of Robert Wood Johnson I . He was also known as J. Seward Johnson, Sr. and Seward Johnson...
, and his mother was Ruth Dill, the sister of actress Diana Dill
Diana Dill
Diana Love Dill is a Bermudian actress, active in the U.S., who has also appeared professionally under the names Diana Douglas and Diana Douglas Darrid.-Personal life:...
, therefore making him a first cousin of actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
. Johnson grew up with five siblings: Mary Lea Johnson Richards
Mary Lea Johnson Richards
Mary Lea Johnson Richards was an American heiress, entrepreneur, and Broadway producer. She was a granddaughter of Robert Wood Johnson I , and the first baby to appear on a J&J baby powder label....
, Elaine Johnson, Diana Melville Johnson, Jennifer Underwood Johnson, and James Loring "Jimmy" Johnson. His parents divorced around 1937, and his father remarried two years later, producing his only brother Jimmy Johnson, making him an uncle to film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
director Jamie Johnson.
Johnson attended Forman School
Forman School
The Forman School is a boarding and day school in Litchfield, Connecticut, USA offering a college preparatory program in grades 9 to 12.-History:...
for dyslexics and University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
, where he majored in poultry husbandry, but did not graduate. Johnson also served four years in the Navy during the Korean War.
Career
Johnson worked for Johnson & JohnsonJohnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
until he was fired by his uncle Robert Wood Johnson II
Robert Wood Johnson II
Robert Wood "General" Johnson II was an American businessman. He was one of the sons of Robert Wood Johnson I . He turned the family business into one of the world's largest healthcare corporations.- Early life :Johnson was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey...
, in 1962.
His early artistic efforts focused on painting, after which he turned to sculpture in 1968. Examples of his statues include:
- The AwakeningThe Awakening (Johnson sculpture)The Awakening is a statue of a giant embedded in the earth, struggling to free himself, located at National Harbor in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA, just outside the District of Columbia. It was created by J. Seward Johnson, Jr...
(1980), his largest and most dramatic work, a 70 feet (21.3 m) five-part statue that depicts a giant trying to free himself from underground. The sculpture was located at Hains PointHains PointHains Point is located at the southern tip of East Potomac Park between the main branch of the Potomac River and the Washington Channel in southwest Washington, D.C. The land on which the park is located is sometimes described as a peninsula but is actually an island: the Washington Channel...
in 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....
for nearly twenty-eight years while still owned by Johnson. It was moved to Prince George's County, MarylandPrince George's County, MarylandPrince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
in February 2008, and an attempt was made by the new curator to correct some of the scale distortions of the original installation by altering some implied underground connections and placing the parts in different relationships to each other.
- Double Check (1982), a statue of a man checking his briefcase, formerly located in Liberty Plaza Park across from the World Trade CenterWorld Trade CenterThe original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
. Photographs of the damaged and dust-covered statue, part of a building developer's required display, were among the photographs taken following the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. A restored statue has been returned to the now-renamed Zuccotti ParkZuccotti ParkZuccotti Park, formerly called Liberty Plaza Park, is a publicly accessible park in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is a controlled by Brookfield Properties. The park was created in 1968 by Pittsburgh-based United States Steel, after the property owners negotiated its creation with city...
and the area has been opened to the public. The statue has been decorated by Occupy Wall StreetOccupy Wall StreetOccupy Wall Street is an ongoing series of demonstrations initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters which began September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district...
protesters.
- Hitchhiker (1983), a statue along the side of a road leading away from the campus of Hofstra UniversityHofstra UniversityHofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
.
- Allow Me (1984), a statue of man holding an umbrella, in Pioneer Courthouse SquarePioneer Courthouse SquarePioneer Courthouse Square, affectionately known as Portland's living room, is a public space occupying a full 40,000 ft² city block in the center of downtown Portland, Oregon, United States...
in Portland, OregonPortland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
- Competition (1984), A sculpture of Julie Wier, Fairview Heights, Illinois. Chosen to represent the spirit of the people of St. Louis as winner of the picture yourself as a work of art contest. Dedicated on June 16, 1984 unsigned St. Louis County LibrarySt. Louis County LibrarySt. Louis County Library serves residents of St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. It is the busiest public library in Missouri, circulating nearly 12 million items in 2010. It consists of 20 branches, including the Headquarters branch, which is located at 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd in Ladue....
in St. Louis, MO.
- Déjeuner Déjà Vu (1994), at Grounds for SculptureGrounds for SculptureGrounds For Sculpture is a sculpture park and museum located in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, on the former site of the New Jersey State Fairgrounds...
in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New JerseyHamilton Township, Mercer County, New JerseyHamilton Township is a Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township had a total population of 88,464...
, a facility founded by Johnson, is a three-dimensional imitation of Edouard ManetÉdouard ManetÉdouard Manet was a French painter. One of the first 19th-century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism....
's painting, Le déjeuner sur l'herbe.
- Copyright Infringement (1994), at Grounds for SculptureGrounds for SculptureGrounds For Sculpture is a sculpture park and museum located in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, on the former site of the New Jersey State Fairgrounds...
, a facility founded by Johnson, is a sculpture named to flaunt his disdain for criticism of his copies of the iconic works of fine art artists with international recognition, representing the fine artist, Manet, whose work he has copied.
- Unconditional SurrenderUnconditional Surrender (sculpture)Unconditional Surrender is a series of sculptures by Seward Johnson resembling a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt, V–J day in Times Square, but said by Johnson to be based on a similar, less well known, photograph by Victor Jorgensen.-Creation:...
(a series with several versions begun in 2005), a spokesperson for Johnson has stated that this series is based on a photograph that is in the public-domain, Kissing the War Goodbye, by Victor JorgensenVictor JorgensenVictor Jorgensen is a former Navy photo journalist who probably is most famous for taking a photograph of an impromptu scene in Manhattan on August 14, 1945, but from a different angle and in a less dramatic exposure than that of a photograph taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt. Both photographs were of...
, however, the Jorgensen photographic image does not extend low enough to include the lower legs and shoes of the subjects, revealed in Alfred EisenstaedtAlfred EisenstaedtAlfred Eisenstaedt was a German-American photographer and photojournalist. He is renowned for his candid photographs, frequently made using various models of a 35mm Leica rangefinder camera...
's famous photograph, V–J day in Times SquareV–J day in Times SquareV-J Day in Times Square is a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt that portrays an American sailor kissing a young nurse in a white dress on V-J Day in Times Square on August 14, 1945. The photograph was published a week later in Life magazine among many photographs of celebrations around the country...
, that are represented identically in the statue. A spokesperson for LifeLife (magazine)Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
has called it a copyright infringementCopyright infringementCopyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
of the latter image. Nonetheless, the first version, a bronzeBronzeBronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
statue of life-size, was placed on temporary exhibition during the 2005 anniversary of V-J Day at the Times Square Information Center near where the original photographs were taken in ManhattanManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
- Several slightly differing twenty-five-foot-versions have been constructed in styrofoamStyrofoamStyrofoam is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company for closed-cell currently made for thermal insulation and craft applications. In 1941, researchers in Dow's Chemical Physics Lab found a way to make foamed polystyrene...
and aluminum with little detail, painted, and put on display by Johnson in San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, Key West, FloridaKey West, FloridaKey West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
, Snug Harbor in New York, and Sarasota, FloridaSarasota, FloridaSarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
. Their immensity has drawn crowds of viewers at each site although the view of them from nearby is severely limited, essentially allowing a vista of the legs and up the skirt. The statues are described as kitschKitschKitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
by an art critic.
- A proposal to establish a permanent location for a copy on the Sarasota bay front has generated a heated controversy about the suitability of the statue to the location, suitability as a military service memorial, the permanent placement of any statue on that public property, as well as the particular issues of unoriginality, mechanical construction, and alleged kitschKitschKitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
iness of the statue. In final agreement documents, Johnson committed the purchase price to cover copyright liability damages in order to have the statue placed. The city was wary of accepting a gift that might result in a financial loss from a possible legal battle that evidenced merit, according to the city attorney.
- First Ride (2006), a statue of a father helping his young daughter learn to ride a bike, in Carmel, IndianaCarmel, IndianaCarmel is a city in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States located immediately north of Indianapolis, Indiana. The population was 79,191 at the 2010 census, and is one of the most affluent communities in the Midwest....
.
- Forever MarilynForever MarilynForever Marilyn is a giant statue of Marilyn Monroe designed by Seward Johnson. The statue is a representative of one of the most famous images of Monroe, taken from 1955 film The Seven Year Itch...
(June 2011), a 26 feet (7.9 m), 17-ton representation of Marilyn MonroeMarilyn MonroeMarilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
standing over a gusty subway grate in her appearance in The Seven Year ItchThe Seven Year ItchThe Seven Year Itch is a 1955 American film based on a three-act play with the same name by George Axelrod. The film was co-written and directed by Billy Wilder, and starred Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell, reprising his Broadway role...
. As of 2011, the sculpture is located at Pioneer Plaza in ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where it has attracted many visitors and some degree of controversy.
For statues made recently in a series named, Iconic, by Johnson, many of which are very large, a computer program is employed that translates two-dimensional images into statues that are constructed by a machine driven by the program. Often, these subjects are images that already are well known as the works of others, generating heated ethical controversies regarding copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
and derivative works due to substantial similarity
Substantial similarity
Substantial similarity is the standard developed and used by United States courts to determine whether a defendant has infringed the reproduction right of a copyright. The standard arises out of the recognition that the exclusive right to make copies of a work would be meaningless if infringement...
issues.
Johnson's works were selected by the United States Information Agency
United States Information Agency
The United States Information Agency , which existed from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, USIA's broadcasting functions were moved to the newly created Broadcasting Board of Governors, and its exchange and non-broadcasting information functions were...
to represent the freedoms of the United States in a public and private partnership enterprise representation sponsored by General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
and many other U.S. corporations at the World EXPO celebration in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
during 1992.
Criticism
As early as 1984 Johnson's work was labeled as "kitschKitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
" by an art professor and critic at Princeton University, who explained its rejection as he was commenting on a controversy raging about the work in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, and the label has dogged him throughout his career.
His cast statues and imitations of famous creations by others have not been well received in professional art circles. Some of them include the use of computer-driven designs from images of original artworks by others that are being presented as Johnson's original artwork.
Software such as Maya is capable of producing such designs and greatly enlarging them mechanically, without artistic modeling
Scale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
. They can be cut into styrofoam
Styrofoam
Styrofoam is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company for closed-cell currently made for thermal insulation and craft applications. In 1941, researchers in Dow's Chemical Physics Lab found a way to make foamed polystyrene...
, plastic, and other materials. Inexpensive metals such as aluminum now are being used in Asia for second-generation copies of works he first had executed in bronze from casts of living people and later statues that are computer generated.
Robert Hughes
Robert Hughes (critic)
Robert Studley Forrest Hughes, AO is an Australian-born art critic, writer and television documentary maker who has resided in New York since 1970.-Early life:...
, the art critic of the New York Times, and numerous other art critics claim that his work is not art.
His 2003 show at the Corcoran Gallery of Art
Corcoran Gallery of Art
The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
, "Beyond the Frame: Impressionism Revisited," which presented his statues imitating famous Impressionist paintings, was a success with audiences, but was panned by professional art critics of national stature and drew strong criticism from curators at other museums about a prominent museum of fine art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
presenting an exhibit of his kitschy work.
Philanthropy
Johnson is a very wealthy man who has made contributions to the appreciation of art by way of providing venues for art and supporting technical facilities that could help other artists learn techniques he applied to build some of his own statues. The foundry he established provides professional service to others as well as for his own works. Although they are pointedly self-serving, most have become identified as nonprofit facilities, organizations, and foundations. Frequently he funds completely the exhibits of his work. He often donates his statues to contribute to fund raising efforts by worthy charities.Johnson created the Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture, an educational, nonprofit casting and fabrication
Fabrication (metal)
Fabrication as an industrial term refers to building metal structures by cutting, bending, and assembling. The cutting part of fabrication is via sawing, shearing, or chiseling ; torching with handheld torches ; and via CNC cutters...
facility in 1974 as a means of fostering young sculptors' talents, while creating a foundry designed to construct his statues that is so well-equipped and staffed that it is chosen by many renowned sculptors. Johnson has stopped using it, however, having his own large statues made in China.
He also founded an organization called The Sculpture Foundation, to promote his works. In 1987, he published Celebrating the Familiar: The Sculpture of J. Seward Johnson, Jr. (ISBN 0-912383-57-7)
Johnson purchased the old New Jersey Fairgrounds in Hamilton, New Jersey
Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
Hamilton Township is a Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township had a total population of 88,464...
and in 1992 founded the Grounds for Sculpture
Grounds for Sculpture
Grounds For Sculpture is a sculpture park and museum located in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, on the former site of the New Jersey State Fairgrounds...
to display his works and to provide a venue for outdoor displays. In 2000 it was converted to a nonprofit organization with the same intent.
He is former president of the International Sculpture Center
International Sculpture Center
The International Sculpture Center is a 5013 nonprofit organization founded in 1960. It is located on the old New Jersey Fairground in Hamilton, New Jersey...
of Hamilton, New Jersey
Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
Hamilton Township is a Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township had a total population of 88,464...
, which publishes a magazine out of offices in Washington, D.C.
Johnson also is the former president of a large oceanographic research institution in Florida founded by his father, the publisher of a science magazine, and the founder of an off-Broadway theater in New York.
Personal life
Johnson was excluded from his father's will, which left the bulk of his fortune to Barbara Piasecka JohnsonBarbara Piasecka Johnson
Barbara "Basia" Piasecka Johnson is a humanitarian, philanthropist, art connoisseur and collector.-Early life:...
, his father's wife and former chambermaid. He and his siblings sued on grounds that their father wasn't mentally competent at the time he signed the will. It was settled out of court, and the children were granted about 12% of the fortune.
Johnson was formerly married to Barbara Kline. She often engaged in extramarital affairs in their home, driving Johnson to attempt suicide. In 1965, he acknowledged paternity to Jenia Anne "Cookie" Johnson without a DNA test, to speed up the divorce process. Years later, Johnson's family had a legal battle regarding Cookie Johnson's eligibility for a share in the Johnson & Johnson fortune. The court ruled in favor of the latter.
Johnson later married Joyce Horton, a novelist. They have two children: John Seward Johnson III and actress Clelia Constance Johnson who goes by the name India Blake.
See also
- Rogers v. KoonsRogers v. KoonsRogers v. Koons, , is a leading U.S. court case on copyright, dealing with the fair use defense for parody. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit found that an artist copying a photograph could be liable for infringement when there was no clear need to imitate the photograph...
- Johnson v. Johnson (1988, ISBN 0-440-20041-5)
- Undue Influence: The Epic Battle for the Johnson & Johnson Fortune (1993, ISBN 0-688-06425-6)