Lester Frederick Johnson
Lester Frederick Johnson of Southampton died on May 30 at the Westhampton Care Center. He was 91.
Born January 27, 1919 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he was the youngest child of Helma Maria (née Holmes) and Edwin August Johnson. He attended the Minneapolis School of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1947 he moved to New York City, where he became part of the “New York School” (second generation).
In 1949 he married Josephine Valenti, and the couple had two children, a daughter, Leslie, and a son, Anthony. They moved to Milford, Connecticut, in 1964, at which time Mr. Johnson began teaching at the Yale University Graduate School of Art.
In 1979 he became chairman of the art department. He retired from Yale University in 1989. Six years later he moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, where he lived for more than 30 years. He and his wife moved to Southampton in 2006.
An artist of international renown, he has exhibited in major museums around the world and in more than 100 one-man shows. His career spanned more than 50 years.
In 1987 he became an associate of the National Academy of Design. In 2004 he was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Most recently, his work has been exhibited with the David Klein Gallery in Detroit and with the James Goodman Gallery in New York City.
In addition to his wife of 61 years, Josephine, he is survived by a daughter, Leslie Lowery of Connecticut; a son, Anthony Johnson of New York City and East Hampton; three granddaughters, Stephanie DeTroy, Julia DeTroy and Abigail Johnson; and a grandson, Nicholas Johnson.
Services and interment were private. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of O’Connell Funeral Home in Southampton.
on Jun 9, 2010