Michael Johnson

1961, casein tempera on board, 39cm x 64cm

One of Johnson’s most sensuous and stylish compositions, and the earliest surviving Johnson's work using casein tempera paint which we have come across. Casein tempera paint was used by illustrators before the invention and availability of acrylic paint. This painting is an exceptional and very rare example of Johnson's early work. 

The painting was used for the cover of "A Crowd of Voices" the first full length novel by Richard Lortz, a highly regarded writer of short stories, novels, plays, and TV shows. His 1972 Broadway play 'Voices' was made into a film starring David Hemmings, Gayle Hunnicutt and Lynn Farleigh the following year. 

"A Crowd of Voices" was published by Four Square Books in the year it was acquired by Times Mirror Company of Los Angeles and re-branded as the National English Library (NEL), now a cult imprint of  1960s and 70s paperback pulp fiction.  

Artist Signed Limited Edition Prints

Professional high-resolution scan, colour adjusted to closely represent original artwork. Giclée print on 100% Cotton Rag ‘Hahnemühle’ 308gsm Fine Art Paper, using archival pigmented inks.

Series One 2016    

Edition of 50 + 5 artist's proofs, each signed by the artist

Paper size 59.5 cm X 42 cm  

Series Two 2016    

Edition of 50 + 5 artist's proofs, each signed by the artist

Paper size 110 cm X 84 cm

If you have any questions regarding these editions please email info@levergallery.com

Original painting

c. 1965, acrylic on board

Like ‘White Leotard with Red Spot’, Johnson painted this to pitch to art directors at fashion magazines. They were some of the first images Johnson created with acrylic paint, which first became available in the 1960s. Before this, illustrators would use casein paint which dried very slowly. With acrylic, illustrators have to work quickly whilst it’s wet because it is waterproof when dry.

Artist Signed Limited Edition Prints

Professional high-resolution scan, colour adjusted to closely represent original artwork. Giclée print on 100% Cotton Rag ‘Hahnemühle’ 308gsm Fine Art Paper, using archival pigmented inks.

Series One 2016    

Edition of 50 + 5 artist's proofs, each signed by the artist

Paper size 59.5 cm X 42 cm  

Series Two 2016    

Edition of 50 + 5 artist's proofs, each signed by the artist

Paper size 110 cm X 67 cm

If you have any questions regarding these editions please email info@levergallery.com

Original painiting - acrylic on board, c. 1965

Johnson painted this and ‘White and Black Dress’ to pitch to art directors at fashion magazines. He presented the piece to Willie Landels, influential art director of Harpers & Queen, who created magazine’s distinctive aesthetic. Landels judged this piece ‘too like a work of art’ for fashion illustration, however, he commissioned other work from Johnson. The two became lifelong friends. The original board size is approximately 52 cm tall by 45 cm wide.

c.1969, acrylic on board    

Alongside painting, Johnson’s other passion is racing.  He had a driver’s contract with both Esso and Dunlop and drove Lotus cars competitively.  A huge admirer of John Surtees - still the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels - Johnson depicts Surtees in the cockpit of Jim Hall’s 1969 Chaparral 2H.  Originally a Lola car designed by Eric Broadley but later used by Chaparral, it has the same chassis as the Ford GT40 noted for its Le Mans 24 Hours wins. Surtees raced this car during the 1969 Can-Am season.  Jim Hall (former race driver and part-owner of Chaparral) stands alongside the car beside a team mechanic.

The original painting is approximately 50 cm wide x 50 cm tall.The artwork is float mounted on to conservation grade mountboard and presented in a white wooden box frame glazed with anti-reflective glass.

c.1966, acrylic on board, 54cm x 61cm

Concept illustration. The double portrait shows Johnson’s technique to great effect with one of the faces a ghostly reflection of the other. His signature abstract lines give relief to the central portraits while the flower perfectly references late ‘60s vogue. The reverse of this illustration has a second image of twin nudes.

c. 1965, acrylic on board, 38cm x 51cm

One of two illustrations commissioned for a short story published by a Swedish magazine.

c. 1964-5, acrylic painting on canvas.

An early commission for short-lived London agency Dyad Marketing. Johnson interpreted the brief ‘Girl with a Gun’ using photographs in a sequence of poses arranged like a moving image. Influenced by American illustrators who were showing their work in art galleries, Johnson created this at a scale suitable for a gallery setting.

The original painting is approximately 100 cm tall X 200 cm wide. The artwork is on stretched canvas, framed in a white wooden box frame.

1969, collage, acrylic on photo print, on board, 40cm X 61cm

Cover illustration for "The Money War" by Terrance Lore Smith published by Sphere books. The photoprint of the map and the photo-realistic style of the illustrated group were both created to meet the art director’s brief. 

Lever Gallery Signed Limited Edition Prints

Professional high-resolution scan, colour adjusted to closely represent original artwork. Giclée print on 100% Cotton Rag ‘Hahnemühle’ 308gsm Fine Art Paper, using archival pigmented inks.

LG 1 2016    

Edition of 20 + 5 artist's proofs, each signed by the artist

Paper size 59.5 cm X 42 cm  

Print of original work (c.1965, acrylic on board)

Commissioned to illustrate a crime story in the German magazine, Bunte, Johnson hasn’t encapsulated the narrative with a single scene, as he would usually.  Instead, he has lifted a number of motifs from the story and assembled them like pieces of evidence. Johnson himself appears in the illustration as the photographer.

If you have any questions regarding this edition please email info@levergallery.com

Lever Gallery Signed Limited Edition Prints

Professionally scanned at high resolution and individually colour adjusted to closely represent original artwork. Giclée printed onto 100% Cotton Rag ‘Hahnemühle’ 308gsm Fine Art Paper, using archival pigmented inks.

2016 LG 01 Edition of just 20 + 5 artist proofs
Paper size: 59.5 cm X 42 cm  Approx. image size: 49.5 cm X 35 cm

An early commission for short-lived London agency Dyad Marketing. Johnson interpreted the brief ‘Girl with a Gun’ using photographs in a sequence of poses arranged like a moving image. Influenced by American illustrators who were showing their work in art galleries, Johnson created this at a scale suitable for a gallery setting.

If you have any questions regarding these editions please email info@levergallery.com

Signed Limited Edition Prints

Professional high-resolution scan, colour adjusted to closely represent original artwork. Giclée print on 100% Cotton Rag ‘Hahnemühle’ 308gsm Fine Art Paper, using archival pigmented inks.

Edition of 50 + 5 artist's proofs, each signed by the artist

Paper size 59.5 cm X 42 cm  

If you have any questions regarding this edition please email info@levergallery.com

Original Painting c.1969, acrylic on board    

Johnson occasionally drove Lotus cars competitively was a huge admirer of John Surtees. In this painting, Surtees can be seen sitting in the cockpit of Jim Hall’s 1969 Chaparral 2H whilst Hall stands alongside beside one of his mechanics. Surtees raced this innovative car during the 1969 Can-Am season.  

Surtees was a four-time 500cc motorcycle World Champion (1956, 1958, 1959 & 1960) and Formula One World Champion in 1964. He remains the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels. 

1965, acrylic on board

This piece was commissioned by Hodder & Stoughton for a series of novels by Leslie Charteris, following the adventures of Simon Templar aka The Saint. Johnson regularly worked with the model used for this illustration, and would design the styling with her. The pose, and the scene, is heavily influenced by the casino photography of Richard Avedon.

Lever Gallery Limited Edition Prints

Professional high-resolution scan, colour adjusted to closely represent original artwork. Giclée print on 100% Cotton Rag ‘Hahnemühle’ 308gsm Fine Art Paper, using archival pigmented inks.

LG 2016  

Edition of 50 + 5 artist's proofs

Paper size 42 cm X 29.7 cm  

If you have any questions regarding this edition please email info@levergallery.com

Artist Signed Limited Edition Prints

Professional high-resolution scan, colour adjusted to closely represent original artwork. Giclée print on 100% Cotton Rag ‘Hahnemühle’ 308gsm Fine Art Paper, using archival pigmented inks.

Edition of 50 + 5 artist's proofs, each signed by the artist

Paper size 59.5 cm X 42 cm  

If you have any questions regarding this edition please email info@levergallery.com

Original painting c.1969, acrylic on board & mixed media 3D in board

Johnson created this for the influential Penguin art director David Pelham. Commissioned for a set of Monica Dickens’ paperback novels, possibly her nursing memoir One Pair of Feet, Pelham asked Johnson to produce one of his 3D paintings. Johnson used stiff card and glue to work the illustration outwards, into the viewer's space. This was his first 3D work for a book cover. The original painting is approximately 45 cm wide x 70 cm tall.

Signed Limited Edition Prints

Professional high-resolution scan, colour adjusted to closely represent original artwork. Giclée print on 100% Cotton Rag ‘Hahnemühle’ 308gsm Fine Art Paper, using archival pigmented inks. 

Edition of 50 + 5 artist's proofs, each signed by the artist

Paper size 59.5 cm X 42 cm  

If you have any questions regarding this edition please email info@levergallery.com

Original painting, acrylic on board, c.1966,  

Whilst working for American magazines, Johnson created this to pitch to potential clients in New York.  In order to demonstrate his artistry and range, he has repeated male and female figures.  What began as something functional became part of Johnson’s developing style; in particular, his use of collage.

Lever Gallery Signed Limited Edition Prints

Professional high-resolution scan, colour adjusted to closely represent original artwork. Giclée print on 100% Cotton Rag ‘Hahnemühle’ 308gsm Fine Art Paper, using archival pigmented inks.

LG 1 2016    

Edition of 50 + 5 artist's proofs, each signed by the artist

Paper size 59.5 cm X 42 cm  

Original work: c.1965, acrylic on board

Commissioned to illustrate a story in Women's Mirror magazine - Johnson uses monochrome shades to capture the scene. 

If you have any questions regarding this edition please email info@levergallery.com