Michael Johnson (b. 1938)
Biography
1938 Born in Sydney
1953-59 Studied at the Julian Ashton Art School and National Art School, Sydney
1960-67 Lived in London
1961-62 Studied at Central School of Art, London
1963-64 Lecturer, Art History, St Michael’s School of Art, London
1965-67 Lecturer, Croydon Art School, Croydon
1967-69 Lived in Sydney
1968-69 Lecturer (Visual Communications), University of NSW
1968-69 Lecturer (Drawings), National Art School
1969-75 Lived in New York, painting full-time
1974 Lectured Birmingham Art College, Birmingham, UK
1975 Returned to Australia
1975-76 Artist-in-Residence, James Cook University, Queensland
1976-78 Lecturer (Drawing, Illustration), Sydney College of the Arts
1977-81 Lecturer (Drawing, Painting), Alexander College of Advanced Education
1980-81 Studio Assistant to Robert Klippel
1981-83 Lecturer (Painting), East Sydney Technical College, School of Art, and City Art Institute
1983 Tapestry commissioned, Waverly Council Civic Centre, Victoria
1984 Commission, State Bank of NSW, Sydney
Selected Solo Exhibitions
1967, 68 Central Street Gallery, Sydney
1969-81 Gallery A, Sydney and Melbourne
1970, 73 Max Hutchinson Gallery, New York
1974 Studio exhibition, Bowery, New York
1975 Studio exhibition, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland
1976 Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane
1982 Studio exhibition, Greene Street, New York
1982 237 Lafayette, New York
1982 Pinacotheca, Melbourne
1983 Studio exhibition, Oxford Street, Sydney
1985 Studio exhibition, Pitt Street, Sydney
1985 Gallery 52, Perth
1986 Macquarie Galleries, Sydney
1986 University Gallery, The University of Melbourne
Selected Group Exhibitions
1962 'Young Contemporaries', RBA Galleries, London
1963 'Young Commonwealth Artists', RBA Galleries, London
1964 Molton Gallery, London
1964 New Vision Gallery, London
1964 Qantas Gallery, London
1964 'Australian Painting and Sculpture Today', Frankfurt-am-main, West Germany
1964 John Moore’s Gallery, Liverpool
1964 'Commonwealth Biennale', Commonwealth Institute, London
1967 Central Street Gallery, Sydney
1967 Gallery A, Melbourne
1968 'Unesco Biennale', Museum Grimaldi, Cagnes-Sur-Mer, France
1968 'The Field', National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
1968 Pinacotheca, Melbourne
1968 'Georges Invitation Art Prize Exhibition', Melbourne
1969 'Sao Paulo Biennale', Brazil
1970 Max Hutchinson Gallery, New York
1972 'Twenty Years of Australian Painting', London
1973 Max Hutchinson Gallery, New York
1974 'Young New York Artists', Travelling Show, USA
1975 'Ten Australians', Gallery A, Sydney
1977 'Australian Colourists', Western Australian Institute of Technology
1978 'Landscape and Image', AGDC travelling exhibition to Indonesia
1979 'Cambodia', Central Street Gallery, Sydney
1980 Axiom Gallery, Melbourne
1981 'Survey of the Seventies', Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria
1982 'The Seventies: Australian Paintings and Tapestries from the National Australia Bank Collection', National Gallery of Victoria
1982 Macquarie University Library, Sydney
1982 'Colour Painting’, Jacques Spiess Gallery, Paris
1983 'Survey Australian Painting', Commonwealth Bank, Sydney
1983 'Recent Australian Painting: A Survey 1970-1983', Art Gallery of South Australia
1983 'John McCaughey Memorial Art Prize', National Gallery of Victoria
1983 'The Wrong Place: Five Sydney Painters', Tasmanian School of Art Gallery, Hobart
1983 'Twelve Australian Painters', Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
1984 'The Field Now', Heide Park and Art Gallery, Victoria
1985 'Subject of Painting', Art Gallery of NSW
1985 'Lecturers of ESTC Art School', Cell Block, Darlinghurst, Sydney
1986 'A Resistant Spirit', Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney
1986 Realities Gallery, Melbourne
Awards
1967 RH Taft Prize (Painting), Contemporary Art Society
1974 Visual Art Board Grant, Australia Council for the Arts
1976 Gold Coast Prize (Painting), Queensland
1980 Camden Art Society Prize (Works on Paper)
1981 Visual Arts Board New York Studio
1986 Visual Arts Board (Artist-in-Residence), The University of Melbourne
Collections
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
Burnie Art Gallery, Tasmania
Wollongong Art Gallery, NSW
New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale
Monash University, Clayton, Victoria
The University of Melbourne Art Collection
James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland
Artbank, Sydney
Parliament House, Canberra
National Bank of Australasia, Melbourne
State Library of Western Australia, Perth
CBA Bank, NSW
Australian National University, Canberra
Gold Coast City Art Collection, Queensland
Waverley Council Art Collection, Victoria
Camden Council Art Collection, NSW
Townsville Council Art Collection, Queensland
Chase Manhattan, New York, USA
Croydon Education Committee, London
Sources:
'Michael Johnson: Paintings 1968-1986', exhibition catalogue, University Gallery, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 1986
'The Wrong Place: Five Sydney Painters', exhibition catalogue, Tasmanian School of Art Gallery, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 1983
KR