Company Profile
The Johnson Collection
Company Overview
Located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the Johnson Collection offers an extensive survey of artistic activity in the American South from the late eighteenth century to the present day. The Johnson family is committed to creating a collection which captures and illuminates the rich history and diverse cultures of the region. By making masterworks from its holdings available for critical exhibitions and academic research, the collection hopes to advance interest in the dynamic role that the art of the South plays in the larger context of American art and to contribute to the canon of art historical literature. The collection also seeks to enrich its local community by inviting the public to interact with these inspiring works of art. The Johnson Collection is housed in the heart of Spartanburg’s resurgent downtown at One Morgan Square, and the Johnson Collection’s downtown Spartanburg gallery sponsors regular rotating exhibitions to which the public is always invited without charge. For more information about the collection, please visit thejohnsoncollection.org
Company History
What began as an interest in paintings by Carolina artists in 2002 has grown to encompass over one thousand objects with provenances that span the centuries and chronicle the cultural evolution of the American South. Today, the Johnson Collection counts iconic masterworks among its holdings, as well as representative pieces by a depth and breadth of artists, native and visiting, whose lives and legacies form the foundation of the field of Southern art history. From William D. Washington’s "The Burial of Latané" to Malvin Gray Johnson’s "Roll Jordan Roll," the collection embraces the region’s rich history and confronts its complexities. The contributions of women artists, ranging from Helen Maria Turner—only the fourth woman elected to full membership in the National Academy of Design—to Alma Woodsey Thomas—the first African American woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art—are accorded deserved attention, as are the landmark accomplishments of American artists of African descent such as Benny Andrews, Romare Bearden, William Henry Johnson, Leo Twiggs, and Hale Woodruff.