“J” is for Johnson, William Henry (1901-1970). Painter. A native of Florence, Johnson moved to Harlem about 1918. He took odd jobs before enrolling at the National Academy of Design where he studied until 1926 when he emigrated to Paris. He painted there for a while before settling in southern France. In 1930 Johnson married a Danish weaver. In late 1938, under the threat of Nazism, the couple moved to New York. At this time his art changed dramatically, and his subject matter shifted as well toward the African American experience: farming in rural South Carolina, Harlem street life, Negro spirituals, and Blacks in the military. After his wife’s death in 1947 his mental and physical health deteriorated and he was institutionalized until his death. William Henry Johnson’s work can be found in museums across the country.
“J” is for Johnson, William Henry (1901-1970)
