Matt Johnson (born 1978) is an artist based in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
Johnson was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. He is a sculptor who creates humorous works out of everyday materials. His art has been compared to that of
Tom Friedman and
Charles Ray for its innovative manipulation of objects. His first solo show was in New York City in 2004, less than a year after receiving his
Masters of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.)
is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...
degree from
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
.
Selected solo exhibitions
2017
''Wood Sculpture, ''303 Gallery, New York, NY
2015
''Matt Johnson: Lautner Beams, ''Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood, CA
2014
Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
2013
Alison Jacques Gallery, London, UK
2012
303 Gallery, New York, NY
2011
Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
2010
Alison Jacques Gallery, London, UK
2009
''Matt Johnson: Super System'', Taxter & Spengemann, New York, NY
2006
Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
2005
Taxter & Spengemann, New York, NY
2004
Taxter & Spengemann, New York, NY
Selected group exhibitions
2017
''alt-facts'', Postmasters Gallery, New York, NY
''Jump Ball'', Dio Haria, Mykonos, Greece
99 Cents or Less', Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit, MI
Concrete Island', Venus Over Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
2016
''Phoenix Rising: The Valley Collects'', Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ
''6’s and 7’s, Outdoor Sculpture at Marlborough Gallery Breezeway'', New York, NY
''Wanderlust'', The Highline, New York, NY
2015
''love or the lack of it'', curated by Friedrich Kunath, Travesia Cuatro, Madrid, Spain
''Small Sculpture'', Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago, IL
2014
Frieze Sculpture Park, London, UK
''Broadway Morey Boogie'', Broadway Malls, New York, NY, presented by Marlborough Chelsea, New York, NY
2013
''The Perfect Show'', 303 Gallery, New York, NY
''Eagles'', Marlborough Gallery, Madrid, Spain
''Funny, ''FLAG Art Foundation, New York, NY
''Lifelike'', Walker Museum of Art, Minneapolis, MN; traveling to New Orleans Museum of Art, LA; Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA; Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas at Austin, TX
''Blind Cut'', Marlborough Chelsea, New York, NY
''Object Fictions'', James Cohan Gallery, New York, NY
2012
''Levitating Woman, 2012'', Ekebergparken Sculpture Park, Oslo
303 Gallery, New York, NY
''The Perfect Show'', 303 Gallery, New York, NY
''Eagles'', Marlborough Gallery, Madrid, Spain
''Lifelike'', Walker Museum of Art, Minneapolis, MN; traveling to New Orleans Museum of Art, LA
''Blind Cut'', Marlborough Chelsea, New York, NY
''Object Fictions'', James Cohan Gallery, New York, NY
2011
''Burning, Bright: A Short History of the Light Bulb'', Pace Gallery, New York, NY
''Greater LA'', 2nd Floor of 483 Broadway, New York, NY
2010
''11th Triennale fur Kleinplastik'', Fellbach, Germany (exh. cat.)
2009
''Abstract America'', Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
''Second Nature: The Valentine-Adelson Collection'', UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
''15th Anniversary Inaugural Exhibition'', Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
''Born in the Morning, Dead by Night'', Leo Koenig, New York, NY
2008
''PM Dawn'', Taxter & Spengemann, New York, NY
''Shape of Things to Come: New Sculpture'', Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
''The Form Itself'', Priska C. Juschka Fine Art, New York, NY
2007
''Making Do'', Yale University School of Art Gallery, New Haven CT
''All About Laughter: Humor in Contemporary Art'', Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (exh. cat.)
''Makers and Modelers'', Gladstone Gallery, New York, NY
''Objects'', Karma International, Zurich, Switzerland
''Sculptors’ Drawings: Ideas, Studies, Sketches, Proposals, and More'', Angles Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
''Time Difference'', The Frank Cohen Collection, Initial Access Gallery, Wolverhampton, UK
2006
''The World is Round'', Public Art Fund, MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY (exh. cat.)
''Clarissa Dalrymple’s Exhibition of Young Artists to Benefit the Foundation for Contemporary Arts'', Bortolami Dayan, New York, NY
2005
''Uncertain States of America: American Art in the 3rd Millennium'', Astrup Fearnley, Oslo, Norway; traveled to Bard College, New York, NY; Serpentine Gallery, London, UK; Reykjavik Art
Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland; Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague, Czech Republic (exh. cat.)
''Art Rock'', Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY
Sutton Lane in Paris, Sutton Lane c/o Galerie Ghislaine Hussenot, Paris, France
''Thing'', UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA (exh. cat.)
2004
''Magic Show, ''Hayworth Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
''Mystery Achievement, ''Taxter & Spengemann, New York, NY
''Slouching Towards Bethlehem'', The Project, New York, NY
''Drunk vs. Stoned'', Gavin Brown’s Passerby, New York, NY
''Nature Study: A Selection of Artists’ from New York and Los Angeles, ''California State University, Bakersfield, CA
2003
''Another Sculpture Show'', Angstrom Gallery, Dallas, TX
''Buy Contortions'', Taxter & Spengemann, New York, NY
''Threedimetrical'', Happy Lion, Los Angeles, CA
''California Welcomes You'', Scope, Los Angeles, CA ''Ordinary Uncanny'', Scope, New York, NY
Grant Selwyn Fine Art, Beverly Hills, CA
2002
''Four Times One Minus One'', Hayworth Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Fondazione Ratti, Como, Italy
''Nanotechnology'', The Whole Gallery, Baltimore, MD
''Everything Everywhere'', The H. Lewis Gallery, Baltimore, MD
Bibliography
Catalogues
2013
Mikkelsen, Egil, Magne Malmanger, and Margrethe Geelmuyden. ''Ekebergparken''. Oslo: Orfeus, 2013.
2012
Engberg, Siri, ed. ''Lifelike''. Minneapolis: Walker Art Center, 2012, 61, 170-71, 180.
Freeman, Jonah and Vera Neykov. ''Blind Cut''. New York: Marlborough Gallery, 2012, 55.
Jacobson, Heidi Zuckerman, and James Frey. ''Funny.'' New York: Flag Art Foundation, 2012.
Spengemann, Pascal. ''Matt Johnson: Small Sculptures''. Los Angeles: Wood Kusaka Studios, 2012.
2011
Cahill, James.'' Frank Benson, Mark Grotjahn, Matt Johnson''. London: Sadie Coles, 2011.
2010
Gülicher, Nina. “Matt Johnson: Materielle Widersprüche.” In ''Larger Than Life: Stranger Than Fiction. ''Fellbach. Germany: Stadt Fellbach; Heule, Belgium: Snoeck, 2010, 128-129.
Johnson, Matt. ''Dice, The Meteorite (Duchamp), and The Electron. ''Los Angeles: Matt Johnson, 2010.
2009
Colburn, Tyler. “Matt Johnson.” In ''Vitamin 3-D: New Perspectives in Sculpture and Installation''. London: Phaidon, 2009, 164-165.
2007
''All About Laughter: Humor in Contemporary Art''. Tokyo: Mori Art Museum, 2007.
2006
Steiner, Rochelle. ''The World is Round''. New York: Public Art Fund, 2006.
2005
Birnbaum, Daniel, Gunnar B. Kvaran, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, eds. ''Uncertain States of America: American Art in the 3rd Millennium''. Oslo: Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, 2005.
''Thing: New Sculpture from Los Angeles''. Los Angeles: Armand Hammer Museum of Art, 2005, 42-45.
Museum and Public Collections
Astrup Fearnley Museum of Art, Oslo, Norway
Ekebergparken Sculpture Park, Oslo, Norway
Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Pérez Art Museum Miami, Miami, FL
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
References
External links
* Matt Johnson at th
Frieze Art Fair* Images, biography and texts from th
* Further information fro
Initial Access
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Matt
American contemporary artists
1978 births
Living people
University of California, Los Angeles alumni