Ray Johnson
- Introduction
- Raymond Edward "Ray" Johnson (October 16, 1927 – January 13, 1995) was an American artist. Known primarily as a collagist and correspondence artist, he was a seminal figure in the history of Neo-Dada and early Pop art and was described as "New York's most famous unknown artist". Johnson also staged and participated in early performance art events as the founder of a far-ranging mail art network – the New York Correspondence School – which picked up momentum in the 1960s and is still active today. He is occasionally associated with members of the Fluxus movement but was never a member. He lived in New York City from 1949 to 1968, when he moved to a small town in Long Island and remained there until his suicide.
- Wikidata
- Q178040
- Introduction
- Studied at the Art Students League in New York 1944-1945, and at Black Mountain College, North Carolina from 1945-1948 under Josef Albers. At Black Mountain he met and associated with John Cage, Merce Cunningham, and Richard Lippold. His work involved collage, found objects, and elements of performance, including mail or correspondence art. He circulated art through the postal service under the names "New York Correspondance School" and "Buddha University." He committed suicide under mysterious circumstances that he may have considered a final work of art.
- Nationality
- American
- Gender
- Male
- Roles
- Artist, Collagist, Painter, Performance Artist
- Names
- Ray Johnson, Raymond Johnson, Raymond Edward Johnson
- Ulan
- 500006906
Exhibitions
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Judson Dance Theater: The Work Is Never Done
September 16, 2018–
February 3, 2019 MoMA
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Yoko Ono: One Woman Show, 1960–1971
May 17–
September 7, 2015 MoMA
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There Will Never Be Silence: Scoring John Cage’s 4′33″
October 12, 2013–
June 22, 2014 MoMA
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1969
October 25, 2009–
April 5, 2010 MoMA PS1
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Compass in Hand: Selections from The Judith Rothschild Foundation Contemporary Drawings Collection
April 22, 2009–
January 4, 2010 MoMA
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Ray Johnson has 12 exhibitionsonline.
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Ray Johnson Letter to Alvin Lustig c.1946
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Ray Johnson Caged 1959
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Various Artists, George Brecht, Claus Bremer, Earle Brown, Joseph Byrd, John Cage, Anthony Cox, David Degener, Walter De Maria, Ding Dong, Henry Flynt, Simone Forti, Dick Higgins, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Terry Jennings, Ray Johnson, Jackson Mac Low, Richard Maxfield, Robert Morris, Yoko Ono, Nam June Paik, Terry Riley, Dieter Roth, James Waring, Emmett Williams, Christian Wolff, La Monte Young An Anthology 1962
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George Brecht, Claus Bremer, Earle Brown, Joseph Byrd, John Cage, Anthony Cox, David Degener, Walter De Maria, Henry Flynt, Yoko Ono, Dick Higgins, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Terry Jennings, Dennis Johnson, Ding Dong, Ray Johnson, Jackson Mac Low, Richard Maxfield, Robert Morris, Simone Forti An Anthology 1963
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George Brecht, Claus Bremer, Earle Brown, Joseph Byrd, John Cage, Anthony Cox, David Degener, Walter De Maria, Henry Flynt, Yoko Ono, Dick Higgins, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Terry Jennings, Dennis Johnson, Ding Dong, Ray Johnson, Jackson Mac Low, Richard Maxfield, Robert Morris, Simone Forti, Nam June Paik, Terry Riley, Dieter Roth, James Waring, Emmett Williams, Christian Wolff, La Monte Young An Anthology of chance operations, concept art, anti art, indeterminacy, plans of action, diagrams, music, dance constructions, improvization, meaningless work, natural disasters, compositions, mathematics, essays, poetry 1963
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Ray Johnson The Paper Snake 1965. (Work executed 1964-1965).
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Ray Johnson Bridget Riley's Comb 1966
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Ray Johnson 2nd Marilyn Monroe 1926-1962 1967
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Various Artists, Clovis Trouille, George Reavey, Bernard Pfriem, Meret Oppenheim, Lee Lozano, Ray Johnson, Alain Jacquet, Marcia Herscovitz, Bruce Conner, Nicolas Calas, Marcel Duchamp S.M.S. No. 2 1968
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Ray Johnson A Two-Year-Old Girl Chocked to Death Today on an Easter Egg from S.M.S. No. 2 1968
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Ray Johnson Midnight Cowboy Dollar Bill 1970
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Ray Johnson Diane Varsi's Mother's Potato Masher 1972
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Ray Johnson Richard Pousette-Dart Masher 1972
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Ray Johnson Saul Steinberg 1972
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Ray Johnson Untitled (Exercising Figures with Moticos) 1955-59/1973
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Ray Johnson Buddha Urinating on Blood (Lake Guillotine) 1973
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Ray Johnson Untitled (An Broke N Dish) (1974)
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Ray Johnson Untitled (How to Draw a Tender Button) 1974
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Ray Johnson Untitled (Mr. Oldenburg's Cup) (c. 1974)
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Ray Johnson Untitled (Wine Glass as Yet Unbroken) 1978
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Ray Johnson Ray Johnson letterhead (Letter to Elaine Lustig Cohen) 1986
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Ray Johnson Untitled (Mail Art Thought) 1987
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Ray Johnson Untitled (Broken Glass) 1988
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Ray Johnson Untitled (The Mailbox) 1989
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Ray Johnson Untitled (Moticos with Everly Brothers) (1953/1994)
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Ray Johnson Untitled (Ray Johnson Collages One Million Dollars Each) 1993-94
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