Description

Description: This archive contains significant insight into the early career of the British artist Ben Johnson as he corresponds with disgraced, and now deceased, Madison Avenue gallery owner Andrew Crispo. It consists of a copy of Crispo’s letter to Johnson encouraging him to be more prolific… “all in all I think your [sic] damn good”; a scribbled handwritten resume by Johnson; a three page manuscript artist’s statement by Johnson; a three page autograph letter signed to Crispo… “I feel my work would sell in the States”; eight photographs of his charcoal/pencil drawings annotated on the verso in his very distinctive hand; a copy of Crispo’s typed letter to a journalist (John Perrault); an announcement for the 1969 Second Annual New York Exhibition for Painters and Sculptures which includes Johnson as an exhibitor..

The three-page letter (Jan 20th, 68) to Crispo expresses how pleased Johnson is “about the opportunity of a show in New York.” He adds “ I want my work to be seen and only a fool or very wealthy person could say the financial side was arbitary (sic) and though I don’t know the American market I feel my work would sell in the States. I have tried to tell Nigel [his brother] this all the time was asking me to produce flower pieces which I will not damn well do, there are enough pot boilers around and I have faith in more serious thinking.” The rest of the letter addresses the possibility of a prospective show.

The four-pages of resume and statement written on legal pad paper have the markings of a draft.

“I am a painter concerned with figuration, and people preocupy (sic) my subject matter; people often seen in traumatic (sic) situations, degrees of mutilation and tension.

The more I try to write about my work the more ridiculous the task of writing about ones (sic) own work seems one does not paint with ears or tongue. Asking a painter to write about his work is like asking a composer to paint a picture to describe his music.

I am not an intelectual (sic) painter, but intuative (sic). The work is often prompted by a short discription (sic) of an event or even a phrase ie “your fierce dogs long for freedom, they bark for joy in their cellar when your spirit aspires to break open all prisons”.

I have found I have been influenced by writings of Nietzsche, T. S. Eliot, Dostoyevsky; and of painters Grunwald, El Greco, velasquez, Serat and Beckman, but these are just few names out of many.

Decoration for me has no influence on a painting and the superficial must be thrown away. One must try to get right to the back of ones (sic) mind, and pull out as much as possible many things which had not even been recognised as existing before but once they are made real in paint they are undeniable.

A preoccupation which I have with violence, aggression, distortion or human bile may be a reaction against; well against I do not know. I am not in the right position to judge my work that is for the spectator to do and the less an artists (sic) says about his work the better it damn well is. Lets (sic) hope painters have not been pushed into the realm of pop stars. The more anonymous the painter, (sic) himself is the better. Do not ask a painter what he meant by a picture look at it and if you still want to know look at more of his work. Then ask the artist to paint another picture, if you are interested in what he has to say to you through your eyes.” (Two lines have been scratched out –”Most painting for me is done through the stomach the guts and”). A transcript of the resume and statement are included. Item #A01875

Ben Johnson (1946-) is a British artist best known for his large cityscapes and architectural renditions. His first solo exhibition was at Wickesham Gallery in New York in 1969. He has exhibited across the globe and is in several permanent collections worldwide, including the Victoria & Albert Museum (London) and Museum of Modern Art (New York).

Andrew Crispo (1945-2024) was an infamous American art dealer who opened the Andrew Crispo Gallery in New York City in 1973. He is best remembered for the multiple crimes and scandals he was associated with–most notably the “S&M/death mask murder” of a young Norwegian fashion student in 1985.

Condition: But for the paper loss in the top blank margin of the last page of the ALS, all items are in very good condition.