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Lester (1919) Johnson Sold at Auction Prices

Painter, b. 1919 - d. 2010

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      • Lester Johnson (American 1919-2010) Lithograph Street Scene White Dress, Signed
        Jun. 30, 2024

        Lester Johnson (American 1919-2010) Lithograph Street Scene White Dress, Signed

        Est: $300 - $500

        Lithograph titled Street Scene White Dress Signed lower right numbered 62/175 Sight size 21" x 28.5"

        Lion and Unicorn
      • Lester Johnson (American 1919-2010) Lithograph Street Scene 4, Signed
        Jun. 30, 2024

        Lester Johnson (American 1919-2010) Lithograph Street Scene 4, Signed

        Est: $300 - $500

        Lithograph titled Street Scene 4 Signed lower right numbered 30/175 Sight size 21" x 28.5"

        Lion and Unicorn
      • Lester Johnson (American 1919-2010) Lithograph Group Scene Slacks, Signed
        Jun. 30, 2024

        Lester Johnson (American 1919-2010) Lithograph Group Scene Slacks, Signed

        Est: $300 - $500

        Lithograph titled Group Scene Slacks Signed lower right numbered 66/175 Sight size 21" x 28.5"

        Lion and Unicorn
      • LESTER FREDERICK JOHNSON (NY, 1919-2010)
        May. 22, 2024

        LESTER FREDERICK JOHNSON (NY, 1919-2010)

        Est: $300 - $500

        LESTER FREDERICK JOHNSON (NY, 1919-2010) "Street Scene with Buyers", serigraph, circa 1985, pencil signed, titled and marked as 2/18 A/P; in maple box frame, matted and glazed, OS: 38 1/4" x 30 1/2", SS: 30 1/2" x 23". Good condition.

        Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
      • Lester Johnson Oil on Canvas Painting 1969
        May. 21, 2024

        Lester Johnson Oil on Canvas Painting 1969

        Est: $2,000 - $4,000

        Lester Johnson (American, 1919-2010). Oil on canvas painting depicting silhouettes of figures in stark black and white, 1969. Signed and dated along the verso. Lester Johnson, a prominent American artist and educator known for his figurative expressionist style, was born in Minneapolis in 1919. He studied at the Minneapolis School of Art under Alexander Masley and later moved to New York City, where he became associated with the Second Generation of the New York School, sharing spaces with artists like Larry Rivers and Wolf Kahn. Johnson's career included teaching positions at Ohio State University and Yale, where he served as Director of Studies Graduate Painting from 1969 to 1974, before retiring in 1989.

        Revere Auctions
      • Lester Johnson Charcoal Figural Drawing
        May. 21, 2024

        Lester Johnson Charcoal Figural Drawing

        Est: $1,000 - $2,000

        Lester Johnson (American, 1919-2010). Charcoal on paper drawing depicting a crowd of figures wearing bowler hats depicted in loose abstract white lines. Signed along the lower center. Lester Johnson, a prominent American artist and educator known for his figurative expressionist style, was born in Minneapolis in 1919. He studied at the Minneapolis School of Art under Alexander Masley and later moved to New York City, where he became associated with the Second Generation of the New York School, sharing spaces with artists like Larry Rivers and Wolf Kahn. Johnson's career included teaching positions at Ohio State University and Yale, where he served as Director of Studies Graduate Painting from 1969 to 1974, before retiring in 1989.

        Revere Auctions
      • Lester Frederick Johnson (1919-2010) Oil On Canvas Portrait
        May. 14, 2024

        Lester Frederick Johnson (1919-2010) Oil On Canvas Portrait

        Est: $200 - $2,000

        DESCRIPTION: Oil on canvas painting by Lester F. Johnson depicting a portrait of a man. Signed at lower left. Mounted in a silver tone wooden frame. CIRCA: 20th to early 21st Century ORIGIN: USA DIMENSIONS: With frame - H: 21" W: 1.5" L: 24" Without frame - H: 20.75" W: 0.75" L: 17.75" CONDITION: In great condition Unless otherwise stated, all information provided is the opinion of our specialists. Should you have any specific questions regarding the condition of this lot, please use the ask question button or send us an email.

        Akiba Galleries
      • LESTER FREDERICK JOHNSON (1919 - 2010, AMERICAN) Silver Beach #4.
        May. 02, 2024

        LESTER FREDERICK JOHNSON (1919 - 2010, AMERICAN) Silver Beach #4.

        Est: $3,000 - $5,000

        LESTER FREDERICK JOHNSON (1919 - 2010, AMERICAN) Silver Beach #4. Oil on canvas, 1972. Signed, Lester Johnson, lower right. 762x915 mm; 30x36 inches. Provenance: CT Fine Art, Westport, CT.

        Swann Auction Galleries
      • Lester Johnson (Am. 1919-2010), "Still Life in Milford #4" 1965, Oil on canvas, framed
        Apr. 13, 2024

        Lester Johnson (Am. 1919-2010), "Still Life in Milford #4" 1965, Oil on canvas, framed

        Est: $2,500 - $3,500

        Lester Johnson (Am. 1919-2010) "Still Life in Milford #4" 1965 Oil on canvas, framed Signed, titled, dated and Swann's label verso 40 1/8" x 31 15/16" actual, 42" x 34" framed

        Barridoff Auctions
      • § LESTER JOHNSON (AMERICAN 1919-2010)
        Mar. 31, 2024

        § LESTER JOHNSON (AMERICAN 1919-2010)

        Est: £200 - £300

        LESTER JOHNSON (AMERICAN 1919-2010) Untitled c.1980 each signed and inscribed artist's proof in pencil three etchings with aquatint in colours on wove each sheet 48 x 45.6cm unframed 3

        Chiswick Auctions
      • LESTER JOHNSON, CITY GRACES (NEW YORK YANKEES), LITHOGRAPH
        Mar. 20, 2024

        LESTER JOHNSON, CITY GRACES (NEW YORK YANKEES), LITHOGRAPH

        Est: $600 - $1,000

        Artist: Lester Johnson, American (1919 - 2010) Title: City Graces (New York Yankees) Year: Circa 1980 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: AP 30 Size: 29 in. x 21.5 in. (73.66 cm x 54.61 cm) Description: This Lester Johnson print incorporates elements of New York City in both the bustling, energetic atmosphere and the related paraphernalia. Relying on the use of flat forms and bright, blended colors, the artist created works like this centered around the crowded environment of the city.

        RoGallery
      • Lester Johnson Watercolor Painting, Landscape
        Feb. 17, 2024

        Lester Johnson Watercolor Painting, Landscape

        Est: $500 - $800

        Artist/Designer; Manufacturer: Lester Johnson (American, 1919-2010) Marking(s); notes: signed Materials: watercolor on paper Dimensions (H, W, D): 19.25"h, 24.75"w; 28.75"h, 34"w frame Additional Information: Drawings & Watercolors This lot is available for truck shipment to points along the I-95 corridor at a flat rate of $350. First-floor delivery within 50 miles of Interstate 95 (I-95) from PBMA in Lake Worth Beach to Connecticut, including but not limited to New York City (New York), Hamptons (New York), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Washington (D.C.), Atlanta (Georgia), Highpoint (North Carolina), Rhode Island, and Boston (Massachusetts). Shipper is a third-party vendor; payment for their services and any delivery instructions should be directed to them. We are willing to combine shipping for qualifying lots where possible; please inquire to confirm availability and quote. International shipments will be referred to a third-party carrier; please email us if you need assistance. Winning bidders are welcome to use their own shipper if preferred.  

        Palm Beach Modern Auctions
      • Lester Johnson (American) 1919-2010 Lithograph Street Scene White Dress
        Jan. 30, 2024

        Lester Johnson (American) 1919-2010 Lithograph Street Scene White Dress

        Est: $200 - $800

        Lithograph titles Street Scene White Dress. Year 1980. Signed lower right numbered 93/175. Sight size 21" x 29"

        Lion and Unicorn
      • Lester Johnson (American, 1919-2010) Watercolor
        Jan. 24, 2024

        Lester Johnson (American, 1919-2010) Watercolor

        Est: $800 - $1,200

        1958. Landscape/trees. Pencil signed 'Lester Johnson' and dated '1958' (lower right).

        Cottone Auctions
      • Lester Johnson (American, 1919-2010) "Beethoven Study No. I", 1964
        Jan. 24, 2024

        Lester Johnson (American, 1919-2010) "Beethoven Study No. I", 1964

        Est: $400 - $600

        Mixed media on paper. Signed 'Lester Johnson' and dated '1964' (lower right).

        Cottone Auctions
      • Lester Johnson (American, 1919-2010) "Beethoven Study No. II", 1964
        Jan. 24, 2024

        Lester Johnson (American, 1919-2010) "Beethoven Study No. II", 1964

        Est: $400 - $600

        Mixed media on paper. Signed 'Lester Johnson' and dated '1964' (lower right).

        Cottone Auctions
      • LESTER JOHNSON, STREET SCENE, SCREENPRINT
        Jan. 01, 2024

        LESTER JOHNSON, STREET SCENE, SCREENPRINT

        Est: $800 - $1,200

        Artist: Lester Johnson, American (1919 - 2010) Title: Street Scene Year: circa 1980 Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: AP 12/18 Size: 29 x 21.5 in. (73.66 x 54.61 cm) Frame Size: 36 x 28.5 inches

        RoGallery
      • Lester Johnson (American) 1919-2010 Lithograph Street Scene White Dress
        Nov. 30, 2023

        Lester Johnson (American) 1919-2010 Lithograph Street Scene White Dress

        Est: $200 - $800

        Lithograph titles Street Scene White Dress. Year 1980. Signed lower right numbered 93/175. Sight size 21" x 29"

        Lion and Unicorn
      • LESTER FREDERICK JOHNSON (1919 - 2010, AMERICAN) Silver Beach #4.
        Nov. 30, 2023

        LESTER FREDERICK JOHNSON (1919 - 2010, AMERICAN) Silver Beach #4.

        Est: $4,000 - $6,000

        LESTER FREDERICK JOHNSON (1919 - 2010, AMERICAN) Silver Beach #4. Oil on canvas, 1972. Signed, Lester Johnson, lower right. 762x915 mm; 30x36 inches. Provenance: CT Fine Art, Westport, CT.

        Swann Auction Galleries
      • LESTER JOHNSON, NEW YORK DANCERS 4, LITHOGRAPH
        Nov. 24, 2023

        LESTER JOHNSON, NEW YORK DANCERS 4, LITHOGRAPH

        Est: $700 - $1,000

        Artist: Lester Johnson, American (1919 - 2010) Title: New York Dancers 4 Year: Circa 1980 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: AP 30 Size: 29 in. x 21.5 in. (73.66 cm x 54.61 cm)

        RoGallery
      • LESTER JOHNSON, CITY GRACES, LITHOGRAPH
        Nov. 17, 2023

        LESTER JOHNSON, CITY GRACES, LITHOGRAPH

        Est: $400 - $800

        Artist: Lester Johnson, American (1919 - 2010) Title: City Graces Year: Circa 1980 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: AP 30 Size: 29 in. x 21.5 in. (73.66 cm x 54.61 cm) Description: This Lester Johnson print incorporates elements of New York City in both the bustling, energetic atmosphere and the related paraphernalia. Relying on the use of flat forms and bright, blended colors, the artist created works like this centered around the crowded environment of the city.

        RoGallery
      • Lester Johnson 1919-2010 Abstract Figural Painting
        Oct. 25, 2023

        Lester Johnson 1919-2010 Abstract Figural Painting

        Est: $500 - $1,500

        Lester Johnson (American, 1919-2010). An original oil painting on canvas. Titled, "Three Girls Walking,". A figural work produced in the late Mid Century Modern style, depicting a trio of casually dressed female figures. Artist signature and dated LESTER JOHNSON 1986 to lower right. Retains DONALD MORRIS GALLERY (Birmingham, MI) label with work details affixed to verso. Presented in a black frame with gold tone trim. Work Size: 18 x 24 in. Dimensions: 19 X 25 X 1.5 in. Condition: Good overall condition having mild age surface wear. Frame having mild storage wear to edges and corners. Estate fresh to the market. Shipping: Hill Auction Gallery does not offer in-house shipping for this item. Gallery will refer third party shippers for all domestic and international buyers. Purchaser pick up available upon request.

        Hill Auction Gallery
      • Lester Johnson (1919-2010) Man's Head, 1961, Pastel, 12 1/2 x 19 1/2" sheet, 15 1/2 x 22 1/2" framed
        Oct. 07, 2023

        Lester Johnson (1919-2010) Man's Head, 1961, Pastel, 12 1/2 x 19 1/2" sheet, 15 1/2 x 22 1/2" framed

        Est: $1,000 - $1,500

        Lester Johnson (1919-2010) Man's Head, 1961, Pastel, 12 1/2 x 19 1/2" sheet, 15 1/2 x 22 1/2" framed

        Bakker Auctions
      • Lester Johnson (1919-2010) Davinci's Restaurant, 135/150, lithograph in colors on Arches, 28 1/8 x 21"
        Oct. 07, 2023

        Lester Johnson (1919-2010) Davinci's Restaurant, 135/150, lithograph in colors on Arches, 28 1/8 x 21"

        Est: $500 - $700

        Lester Johnson (1919-2010) Davinci's Restaurant, 135/150, lithograph in colors on Arches, 28 1/8 x 21"

        Bakker Auctions
      • Lester Johnson (American) 1919-2010 Lithograph Street Scene 4, Signed
        Sep. 28, 2023

        Lester Johnson (American) 1919-2010 Lithograph Street Scene 4, Signed

        Est: $200 - $800

        Lithograph titled Street Scene 4. Year 1978. Signed lower right numbered 22/175. Sight size 21" x 29"

        Lion and Unicorn
      • Lester Johnson (Am. 1919-2010), Seagull, 1961, Watercolor on paper, framed under glass
        Aug. 19, 2023

        Lester Johnson (Am. 1919-2010), Seagull, 1961, Watercolor on paper, framed under glass

        Est: $500 - $700

        Lester Johnson (Am. 1919-2010) Seagull, 1961 Watercolor on paper, framed under glass Signed and dated l.l. 14" x 10 1/8" actual, 22 3/8" x 17 3/4" framed

        Barridoff Auctions
      • LESTER JOHNSON, NEW YORK DANCERS 5, LITHOGRAPH
        Jul. 06, 2023

        LESTER JOHNSON, NEW YORK DANCERS 5, LITHOGRAPH

        Est: $500 - $700

        Artist: Lester Johnson, American (1919 - 2010) Title: New York Dancers 5 Year: Circa 1980 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: AP 20 Image Size: 24.5 x 18 inches Size: 29 in. x 21.5 in. (73.66 cm x 54.61 cm) Description: This crowded scene of New York City shows Lester Johnson's manner of figurative expressionism. With the flat and streaked areas of color and the fairly monochrome color scheme, the artist's depiction of a crowd is captivating for the way in which each figure appears to emerge out of the crowd separately.

        RoGallery
      • LESTER JOHNSON, NEW YORK DANCERS 3, LITHOGRAPH
        Jul. 01, 2023

        LESTER JOHNSON, NEW YORK DANCERS 3, LITHOGRAPH

        Est: $800 - $1,200

        Artist: Lester Johnson, American (1919 - 2010) Title: New York Dancers 3 Portfolio: Year: Circa 1980 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: AP 30 Size: 29 in. x 21.5 in. (73.66 cm x 54.61 cm) Description: Lester Johnson's depictions of crowds are an iconic part of his career. With bustling crowds of figures moving contentedly amongst eachother, the artist's devotion to figurative expressionism is apparent in these flat but dynamic depictions of figures.

        RoGallery
      • LESTER JOHNSON, NEW YORK DANCERS 5 , LITHOGRAPH
        Jul. 01, 2023

        LESTER JOHNSON, NEW YORK DANCERS 5 , LITHOGRAPH

        Est: $750 - $1,150

        Artist: Lester Johnson, American (1919 - 2010) Title: New York Dancers 5 Portfolio: Year: circa 1980 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: AP 26/30 Size: 28 in. x 21 in. (71.12 cm x 53.34 cm)

        RoGallery
      • Lester Johnson (American, 1919-2010), Lithograph, Signed
        Jun. 27, 2023

        Lester Johnson (American, 1919-2010), Lithograph, Signed

        Est: $200 - $800

        Titled: Group Scene Slacks. Limited edition signed and numbered by artist in pencil at the bottom. Artist: Lester Johnson Issued: 1979 Dimensions: 29"L x 21.25"W Edition Number: 70/175 Country of Origin: United States

        Lion and Unicorn
      • Lester Johnson (Am. 1919-2010), "Arabesque, State I" 1985, Etching, framed under glass
        May. 20, 2023

        Lester Johnson (Am. 1919-2010), "Arabesque, State I" 1985, Etching, framed under glass

        Est: $300 - $500

        Lester Johnson Am. (1919-2010) "Arabesque, State I" 1985 Etching, framed under glass Signed in pencil l.r., titled in pencil l.c., editioned in pencil "11/20" l.l., Donald Morris Gallery label and David Klein Gallery label verso 20" x 25 3/4" sight, 30 1/16" x 35 1/8" framed

        Barridoff Auctions
      • Lester Johnson (American 1919-2010), Frontal Street Scene, Color Lithograph, Signed l.r., Titled l.c. and numbered 9/20 l.l., Frame: 25 1/2 x 32 1/2 in. (64.8 x 82.6 cm.)
        May. 16, 2023

        Lester Johnson (American 1919-2010), Frontal Street Scene, Color Lithograph, Signed l.r., Titled l.c. and numbered 9/20 l.l., Frame: 25 1/2 x 32 1/2 in. (64.8 x 82.6 cm.)

        Est: $50 - $100

        Lester Johnson (American 1919-2010), Frontal Street Scene, Color Lithograph, Signed l.r., Titled l.c. and numbered 9/20 l.l.,

        Weschler's
      • Lester F. Johnson (American, 1919-2010) Classic Figure No. 2, circa 1966 Aquatin
        May. 11, 2023

        Lester F. Johnson (American, 1919-2010) Classic Figure No. 2, circa 1966 Aquatin

        Est: $800 - $1,200

        Lester F. Johnson (American, 1919-2010) Classic Figure No. 2, circa 1966 Aquatint on paper, first state 17-3/4 x 14-1/2 inches (45.1 x 36.8 cm) (image) Ed. 9/10 Signed, numbered, and titled in pencil along the lower edge Printed by Yale University Art School, New Haven, Connecticut PROVENANCE: The artist; Private collection, acquired from the above. HID01801242017

        Heritage Auctions
      • Lester F. Johnson (American, 1919-2010) Three Men in Columns Ink and wash on pap
        May. 11, 2023

        Lester F. Johnson (American, 1919-2010) Three Men in Columns Ink and wash on pap

        Est: $800 - $1,200

        Lester F. Johnson (American, 1919-2010) Three Men in Columns Ink and wash on paper 18-1/4 x 23 inches (46.4 x 58.4 cm) (sight) Signed lower right: Lester Johnson HID01801242017

        Heritage Auctions
      • Lester Johnson "Street Scene" Mixed Media on Paper
        Apr. 02, 2023

        Lester Johnson "Street Scene" Mixed Media on Paper

        Est: $800 - $1,200

        Lester Johnson (American, 1919-2010) "Street Scene" figurative mixed media on paper depicting four ladies, signed to lower right, "Gimpel & Weitzenhoffer" gallery label to verso, circa 1980, housed in a wood frame. Image: 39.75" H x 28.25" W; frame: 45" H x 34" W.

        Auctions at Showplace
      • LESTER JOHNSON (AMERICAN 1919-2010)
        Mar. 31, 2023

        LESTER JOHNSON (AMERICAN 1919-2010)

        Est: £300 - £500

        LESTER JOHNSON (AMERICAN 1919-2010) LESTER JOHNSON (AMERICAN 1919-2010) Untitled c.1980 each signed and inscribed artist's proof in pencil three etchings with aquatint in colours on wove each sheet 48 x 45.6cm unframed 3

        Chiswick Auctions
      • LESTER JOHNSON AMERICAN 1919-2010
        Mar. 25, 2023

        LESTER JOHNSON AMERICAN 1919-2010

        Est: $600 - $900

        Abstraction, 1960, ink and brush, 19 x 14 in (48.2 x 35.6 cm), framed 24 1/2 x 20 1/2 in (62.2 x 52.1 cm), signed lower right, dated 1960, PROVENANCE: Private collector New Jersey

        Trinity International Auctions & Appraisals, LLC
      • LESTER JOHNSON AMERICAN 1919-2010
        Mar. 25, 2023

        LESTER JOHNSON AMERICAN 1919-2010

        Est: $1,000 - $2,000

        Man's Head in Green, 1961, oil on canvas, 26 x 20 in (66 x 50.1 cm), framed 30 x 24 in (76.2 x 61 cm), label verso Zabriskie Gallery, NYC and Museum of Modern Art label verso, PROVENANCE: Private collection New Jersey

        Trinity International Auctions & Appraisals, LLC
      • Lester Johnson American, 1919-2010 Three Comrades, 1964
        Mar. 08, 2023

        Lester Johnson American, 1919-2010 Three Comrades, 1964

        Est: $2,000 - $4,000

        Lester Johnson American, 1919-2010 Three Comrades, 1964 Signed and dated Lester Johnson 1964 on the reverse Oil on canvas 16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm) Provenance: Martha Jackson Gallery, New York A partial Museum of Modern Art, New York lending label affixed to the stretcher C 

        DOYLE Auctioneers & Appraisers
      • AMERICAN MALE CHARCOAL PAINTING BY LESTER JOHNSON
        Feb. 25, 2023

        AMERICAN MALE CHARCOAL PAINTING BY LESTER JOHNSON

        Est: $100 - $150

        Lester Frederick Johnson, American, 1919 to 2010, charcoal painting on paper depicting a portrait of a man, 1944. Signed and dated lower right. Framed. Lester Johnson is known for Modernist street people figure and genre painting, teaching. Lester Johnson was an American artist and educator. Johnson was a member of the Second Generation of the New York School during the late 1950s. The subject of much of his work is the human figure. His style is considered by critics and art historians to be in the figurative expressionist mode. One of a kind artwork.

        Antique Arena Inc
      • LESTER FREDERICK JOHNSON (NY, 1919-2010)
        Feb. 01, 2023

        LESTER FREDERICK JOHNSON (NY, 1919-2010)

        Est: $400 - $800

        "Street Scene with Buyers", serigraph, circa 1985, pencil signed, titled and marked as 2/18 A/P; in maple box frame, matted and glazed, OS: 38 1/4" x 30 1/2", SS: 30 1/2" x 23". Good condition.

        Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
      • LESTER JOHNSON, American (1919-2010), Untitled, 1964 (Man's Head with Hat), oil on canvas, 20 x 24 inches
        Jan. 19, 2023

        LESTER JOHNSON, American (1919-2010), Untitled, 1964 (Man's Head with Hat), oil on canvas, 20 x 24 inches

        Est: $1,500 - $2,500

        LESTER JOHNSON American, (1919-2010) Untitled, 1964 (Man's Head with Hat) oil on canvas signed and dated on the reverse "Lester Johnson, 1964"

        Shannon's
      • Lester Johnson, New York Dancers 5, Lithograph
        Jan. 01, 2023

        Lester Johnson, New York Dancers 5, Lithograph

        Est: $800 - $1,000

        Artist: Lester Johnson, American (1919 - 2010) Title: New York Dancers 5 Year: Circa 1980 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: AP 20 Image Size: 24.5 x 18 inches Size: 29 in. x 21.5 in. (73.66 cm x 54.61 cm) Description: This crowded scene of New York City shows Lester Johnson's manner of figurative expressionism. With the flat and streaked areas of color and the fairly monochrome color scheme, the artist's depiction of a crowd is captivating for the way in which each figure appears to emerge out of the crowd separately.

        RoGallery
      • Lester Frederick Johnson, Connecticut, New York (1919 - 2010), Portrait of a Man, 1961, pastel on paper, 12 1/2" x 19 1/2", 15 1/2" x 22 3/8" (frame)
        Dec. 17, 2022

        Lester Frederick Johnson, Connecticut, New York (1919 - 2010), Portrait of a Man, 1961, pastel on paper, 12 1/2" x 19 1/2", 15 1/2" x 22 3/8" (frame)

        Est: $400 - $600

        Lester Frederick Johnson Connecticut, New York, (1919 - 2010) Portrait of a Man, 1961 pastel on paper signed and dated lower right. EX: Zabriskie Gallery, NY Biography from the Archives of askART: Following is The New York Times obituary of Lester Johnson. "Lester Johnson, Expressionist Painter, Dies at 91" By William Grimes June 8, 2010 Lester Johnson, an admired artist whose expressionist brushwork lent vigor and force to the human figure — isolated and embattled, or alive with the joy of movement in crowds — died on May 30. He was 91 and lived in Southampton on Long Island. His death, at a nursing home in Westhampton, N.Y., was confirmed by his son, Anthony. Mr. Johnson, a maverick associate of the Abstract Expressionists in New York, found his subject matter in the joys and sorrows of ordinary people on the street. His boxy figures of the 1960s, somberly painted in thick impasto their features often scratched into the surface, faced the viewer squarely with an air of stoicism or grim defiance. Some were self-portraits. Others, such as Bowery Patriarch (1963) and Three Men Sitting (1969), enlisted the stumbling, broken men he saw on the Bowery from his second-floor studio window. Pulsing with a dark energy and compressed into taut masses by brutal external forces, Mr. Johnson's subjects, presented singly or in groups, seemed like hostages to fate. The art critic Harold Rosenberg called them "golem-like," a reference to the manlike creature of Jewish folklore created from inanimate matter. "Johnson's grim dolls seem to push forward out of a background darkness which they bring with them to the painting surface," he wrote in Art News in 1966. In the 1970s, Mr. Johnson shifted gears. "I get into a theme, and I get into it until I don't like it," he told The Hartford Courant in 2005. He began painting women in colorful print dresses and men wearing bowler hats, crowding the canvas and moving ebulliently through the city's streets. Their flattened, stylized forms, and the often frieze-like arrangement of the figures, suggested Greek vase art set to a jazz soundtrack. "It was a real pleasure to use color," he told The Courant. "From then on, I had another world." "If there is such as thing as the poetry of congestion, Mr. Johnson invented it," John Russell wrote in The New York Times in 1977. "The people in his painting just love company. They can't get enough of it. No matter how he packs them in we feel that both he and they would gladly find room for someone else." Lester Frederick Johnson was born on Jan. 27, 1919, in Minneapolis. After graduating from high school he began an apprenticeship at the Cosmopolitan Art Company, where he learned to make frames and copy calendar landscapes. Determined to become a fine artist, he enrolled at the Minneapolis School of Art, where he studied with Alexander Masley, a former student of Hans Hofmann in Munich. When Mr. Masley was dismissed because of political infighting at the school, Mr. Johnson moved to the St. Paul School of Art to study with another Hofmann protégé, Cameron Booth. He later studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1947 he moved to New York, where he shared a studio, at different times, with Larry Rivers and Philip Pearlstein. Two years later he married Josephine Valenti, who survives him. In addition to his son, an architect who lives in Manhattan, he is survived by his daughter, Leslie Lowery, of Greenwich, Conn., and four grandchildren. Mr. Johnson started out painting small urban landscapes and abstract paintings but gradually moved toward the human figure, developing a style heavily influenced by the painterly techniques of the Abstract Expressionists and the existential atmosphere in the Giacometti paintings he saw in a show at the Pierre Matisse Gallery in 1948. What he took from Giacometti, the critic Hilton Kramer noted in a 2004 review of Mr. Johnson's work in The New York Observer was not a style but "an attitude of interrogation and anxiety in dealing with the figure." He became one of the figurative artists voted into the Eighth Street Club, the famous weekly gathering of the Abstract Expressionists. They regarded him as talented but misguided. He regarded drips and gestural brushstrokes as an avant-garde signature that could easily descend into empty cliché. "I was into human content and I used it, and I found it a very, very exciting thing to do," Mr. Johnson said in an interview in 1988. "I did a lot of paintings at the time where you can hardly see the figure, but it's there." He had his first solo show at the Artists Gallery in 1951. In 1964, Jack Tworkov, the chairman of the graduate art department at Yale, recommended Mr. Johnson for a job. He taught figure drawing at Yale until his retirement in 1989, and from 1969 to 1974 was the director of studies for the graduate painting program. The James Goodman Gallery in Manhattan surveyed his work in 2004 in the exhibition "Lester Johnson: Four Decades of Painting." In 2005, the University of Connecticut in Storrs mounted a 50-year retrospective of his work, "People Passing By: Paintings, Drawings and Prints by Lester Johnson," at the William Benton Museum of Art. Correction: An obituary on June 9 about the painter Lester Johnson erroneously credited him with a distinction. Several figurative artists — not just Mr. Johnson — were members of the salon known as the Eighth Street Club. (Among them were Larry Rivers and Edwin Dickinson.)

        Ripley Auctions
      • Lester Frederick Johnson, Connecticut, New York (1919 - 2010), portrait of a man, 1961, pastel and charcoal on paper, 19 5/8" x 12 3/4", 22 3/8" x 15 1/2" (frame)
        Dec. 17, 2022

        Lester Frederick Johnson, Connecticut, New York (1919 - 2010), portrait of a man, 1961, pastel and charcoal on paper, 19 5/8" x 12 3/4", 22 3/8" x 15 1/2" (frame)

        Est: $400 - $600

        Lester Frederick Johnson Connecticut, New York, (1919 - 2010) portrait of a man, 1961 pastel and charcoal on paper signed and dated lower right. Biography from the Archives of askART: Following is The New York Times obituary of Lester Johnson. "Lester Johnson, Expressionist Painter, Dies at 91" By William Grimes June 8, 2010 Lester Johnson, an admired artist whose expressionist brushwork lent vigor and force to the human figure — isolated and embattled, or alive with the joy of movement in crowds — died on May 30. He was 91 and lived in Southampton on Long Island. His death, at a nursing home in Westhampton, N.Y., was confirmed by his son, Anthony. Mr. Johnson, a maverick associate of the Abstract Expressionists in New York, found his subject matter in the joys and sorrows of ordinary people on the street. His boxy figures of the 1960s, somberly painted in thick impasto their features often scratched into the surface, faced the viewer squarely with an air of stoicism or grim defiance. Some were self-portraits. Others, such as Bowery Patriarch (1963) and Three Men Sitting (1969), enlisted the stumbling, broken men he saw on the Bowery from his second-floor studio window. Pulsing with a dark energy and compressed into taut masses by brutal external forces, Mr. Johnson's subjects, presented singly or in groups, seemed like hostages to fate. The art critic Harold Rosenberg called them "golem-like," a reference to the manlike creature of Jewish folklore created from inanimate matter. "Johnson's grim dolls seem to push forward out of a background darkness which they bring with them to the painting surface," he wrote in Art News in 1966. In the 1970s, Mr. Johnson shifted gears. "I get into a theme, and I get into it until I don't like it," he told The Hartford Courant in 2005. He began painting women in colorful print dresses and men wearing bowler hats, crowding the canvas and moving ebulliently through the city's streets. Their flattened, stylized forms, and the often frieze-like arrangement of the figures, suggested Greek vase art set to a jazz soundtrack. "It was a real pleasure to use color," he told The Courant. "From then on, I had another world." "If there is such as thing as the poetry of congestion, Mr. Johnson invented it," John Russell wrote in The New York Times in 1977. "The people in his painting just love company. They can't get enough of it. No matter how he packs them in we feel that both he and they would gladly find room for someone else." Lester Frederick Johnson was born on Jan. 27, 1919, in Minneapolis. After graduating from high school he began an apprenticeship at the Cosmopolitan Art Company, where he learned to make frames and copy calendar landscapes. Determined to become a fine artist, he enrolled at the Minneapolis School of Art, where he studied with Alexander Masley, a former student of Hans Hofmann in Munich. When Mr. Masley was dismissed because of political infighting at the school, Mr. Johnson moved to the St. Paul School of Art to study with another Hofmann protégé, Cameron Booth. He later studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1947 he moved to New York, where he shared a studio, at different times, with Larry Rivers and Philip Pearlstein. Two years later he married Josephine Valenti, who survives him. In addition to his son, an architect who lives in Manhattan, he is survived by his daughter, Leslie Lowery, of Greenwich, Conn., and four grandchildren. Mr. Johnson started out painting small urban landscapes and abstract paintings but gradually moved toward the human figure, developing a style heavily influenced by the painterly techniques of the Abstract Expressionists and the existential atmosphere in the Giacometti paintings he saw in a show at the Pierre Matisse Gallery in 1948. What he took from Giacometti, the critic Hilton Kramer noted in a 2004 review of Mr. Johnson's work in The New York Observer was not a style but "an attitude of interrogation and anxiety in dealing with the figure." He became one of the figurative artists voted into the Eighth Street Club, the famous weekly gathering of the Abstract Expressionists. They regarded him as talented but misguided. He regarded drips and gestural brushstrokes as an avant-garde signature that could easily descend into empty cliché. "I was into human content and I used it, and I found it a very, very exciting thing to do," Mr. Johnson said in an interview in 1988. "I did a lot of paintings at the time where you can hardly see the figure, but it's there." He had his first solo show at the Artists Gallery in 1951. In 1964, Jack Tworkov, the chairman of the graduate art department at Yale, recommended Mr. Johnson for a job. He taught figure drawing at Yale until his retirement in 1989, and from 1969 to 1974 was the director of studies for the graduate painting program. The James Goodman Gallery in Manhattan surveyed his work in 2004 in the exhibition "Lester Johnson: Four Decades of Painting." In 2005, the University of Connecticut in Storrs mounted a 50-year retrospective of his work, "People Passing By: Paintings, Drawings and Prints by Lester Johnson," at the William Benton Museum of Art. Correction: An obituary on June 9 about the painter Lester Johnson erroneously credited him with a distinction. Several figurative artists — not just Mr. Johnson — were members of the salon known as the Eighth Street Club. (Among them were Larry Rivers and Edwin Dickinson.)

        Ripley Auctions
      • Lester Johnson American, 1919-2010 Parc Mesina #9, 1992
        Dec. 08, 2022

        Lester Johnson American, 1919-2010 Parc Mesina #9, 1992

        Est: $2,000 - $4,000

        Lester Johnson American, 1919-2010 Parc Mesina #9, 1992 Signed and dated Lester Johnson 92 (lr) Oil on canvas 32 x 40 inches (81.3 x 102 cm) Provenance: David Klein Gallery, Birmingham, MI C Property of a Florida Lady

        DOYLE Auctioneers & Appraisers
      • Lester Johnson (American, 1919-2010) 'Passing Image' Etching
        Nov. 13, 2022

        Lester Johnson (American, 1919-2010) 'Passing Image' Etching

        Est: $300 - $500

        Lester Johnson (American, 1919-2010) 'Passing Image' Etching 1991, pencil signed and titled bottom right, #4/20, a black etching with aquatint depicting faces in a crowd, float matted, under acrylic, black wood frame Property from: a Chicago, Illinois collector Category: Fine Art > Prints Estimated Sale Time: 1:27 pm CST Shipping Status: Due to size, weight, value or shipping complexity, this item must be shipped via a 3rd Party and the shipping cost may be high. We recommend contacting multiple shipping vendors for an estimate as the cost may vary greatly. Sales Tax: California (7.25%), Florida (6%), Georgia (8.5%), Kansas (6.5%), New Jersey (6.625%), New Mexico (5.125%), New York (8.875%), Pennsylvania (6%), Washington (10.5%) Download High Resolution Photographs: Photograph #1 Photograph #2 Photograph #3 Photograph #4 Last modified: October 30, 2022, 7:35 pm

        Leonard Auction
      • LESTER JOHNSON AMERICAN 1919-2010
        Nov. 12, 2022

        LESTER JOHNSON AMERICAN 1919-2010

        Est: $600 - $900

        Abstraction, 1960, ink and brush, 19 x 14 in (48.2 x 35.6 cm), framed 24 1/2 x 20 1/2 in (62.2 x 52.1 cm), signed lower right, dated 1960, PROVENANCE: Private collector New Jersey

        Trinity International Auctions & Appraisals, LLC
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