Lee Johnson
Lee Johnson was born in Wiltshire, and has lived and worked in London since 2000. He earned an MA Fine Art from Central Saint Martins School of Art in 2001, and his works are held in the prestigious collections of Soho House; Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge; University of the Arts London; and numerous private collections worldwide (including UK, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, USA, and Australia). Private clients include world-renowned musicians, singers, actors and artists.
Johnson was selected for the prestigious John Moores Painting Prize at Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 2010, and was a finalist in the Contemporary British Painting Prize 2023 at Huddersfield Art Gallery.. In 2021 Johnson was the winner of the inaugural Lido Stores Open, Margate, resulting in a solo exhibition of his work at the gallery in August 2022.
He has exhibited widely, most notably in public institutions in the UK including Hastings Contemporary, Hastings; Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge; Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool; Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Sunderland; Huddersfield Art Gallery; and Torre Abbey, Devon. Johnson has also exhibited in many private galleries and artist run spaces in the UK and overseas, including Lab Gallery, New York, USA; Nicholas Thompson Gallery, Melbourne, Australia; Carslberg Byens Galleri & Kunstsalon, Copenhagen, Denmark; ArTower Agora, Athens, Greece; Gozo Contemporary, Malta.
Works are held in the collections of Soho House; Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge; University of the Arts London; and numerous private collections in the UK, Europe and USA.
Competitions, Awards and Exhibitions
Lee Johnson was born in Wiltshire, and earned an MA Fine Art from Central Saint Martins School of Art in 2001. He lives and works in London.
COMPETITIONS & AWARDS
Contemporary British Painting Prize Finalist, Huddersfield Art Gallery, 2023
Oxmarket Contemporary Open exhibitor, Oxmarket Contemporary, Chichester, 2022
Lido Stores Open First Prize Winner, Lido Stores Margate, 2021
John Moores Painting Prize Exhibiting Artist, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 2010
Arts Council England Touring Exhibitions Award, 2006
Arts Council England Individual Artist Award, 2005
Lexmark European Art Prize UK Finalist, 2004
Centre of Attention Art Prize Finalist, London, 2004
Yorkshire Arts Year of the Artist Award, 2000
Yorkshire Arts Individual Artist Award, 1999
Pizza Express Art Prize Finalist, 1999
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS (* denotes solo exhibition; » denotes curated exhibition)
Prose Painters - The Euston Road School HYPHA Studios, London, upcoming 2025»
Unsupported Networks Thames-Side Studios Gallery, London, upcoming 2025»
Cat Show Thames-Side Studios Gallery, London, upcoming 2025
Wave Paintings Circle Contemporary Gallery, Cornwall, upcoming 2024*
Title TBC Artist Support Pledge online showcase, upcoming 2024
Worlds Still On A Wire Canal Boat Contemporary, London, 2024
Blink And You Miss It 6 At Home With The Copelands, Safehouse1, London, 2024»
STEEP / SCATTER TWO-PLUS-TWO, London, 2024
Dancing About Architecture HYPHA Studios, London, 2024»
Touch-paper Terrace Gallery, London, 2024»
Unconsumed II The Shoe Factory, Norwich, 2024
Fierce Scandal The Lido Stores, Margate, 2024
A Room With A View Vardan Gallery, Los Angeles, USA, upcoming December 2023
And One Day the Apple Fell BlackBox Project Space, University of Creative Arts, Farnham, 2023
Canal Boat Art Fair Broadway Market London, 2023
Crawl Space St Pancras Crypt, London, 2023
Contemporary British Painting Prize Huddersfield Art Gallery, Huddersfield, 2023
Darker Than A Blackbird’s Retina Terrace Gallery, Huddersfield, 2023
Tailored Perspectives MAH Gallery x Drake’s Savile Row, London, 2023
I’ll Meet You There 571 Gallery, Reading, 2023
A Generous Space III Huddersfield Art Gallery, Huddersfield, 2023
Stone City Fringe Arts Bath, 2023
Post-Post-War OHSH Projects, London, 2023
Dog Show Thames-Side Studios Gallery, London, 2023
Unconsumed The Shoe Factory, Norwich, 2023
Sugar Cube II Lido Stores, Margate, 2022
Conversations in Colour Pilgrims Contemporary, London, 2022
Cloversheaf Petersham Nurseries, London, 2022
Oxmarket Contemporary Open Oxmarket Contemporary, Chichester, 2022
People / Places / Objects Lido Stores, Margate, 2022*
A Rainbow’s Edge TIN MAN ART, London, 2022
Worlds on A Wire Unit 3 Projects, London, 2022
The Pavilions MAH Gallery, London, 2022
The Art Of Manufacturing Paris (touring Munich, Amsterdam, Madrid, Dallas, London), 2022
Give Me Love Lido Stores, Margate, 2022
A Generous Space Hastings Contemporary, Hastings, 2021-22
Studio Confetti Terrace Gallery, London, 2021
Launch MAH Gallery, London, 2021
Between The Bliss And Me TIN MAN ART, London, 2021
Lockdown Exhibition Torre Abbey, Devon, 2021
Every Day Terrace Gallery, London, 2020
The Road To Utopia Aleph Contemporary online exhibition, curated by Rosa JH Berland, 2020
The Just Aleph Contemporary online exhibition, curated by Dan Coombs, 2020
Painting Show Christie’s Education London, London, 2019
Depict The Mask Carslberg Byens Galleri & Kunstsalon, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2018
Got It For Cheap Atlanta Contemporary, USA, 2018 (then touring)
Paper Cuts Saatchi Gallery, London (then touring), 2018
Art Language Location Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, 2016 (collaboration with Adam Bridgland)
Mesnommer 32sqm, London, 2015
Shots Off The Dices Nicholas Thompson Gallery, Melbourne, Australia, 2015
RadioCity - Internal Broadcast Tate Britain, London, 2015
We Are The Fragments The Tabernacle, London, 2012
Bad Art Salon, Royal Festival Hall, London, 2011
John Moores Painting Prize Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 2010
Free Art Fair Barbican, London, 2009; and Seymour Place 2007 and 2008
The Works Of Others, Whitechapel Gallery, London, 2006
Reg Dwight Visits 1409 Sul Ross, St. Paul’s Gallery, London, 2006* (works made in collaboration)
High Risk Painting Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Sunderland, 2006
Thirteen Stories Deptford X, London, and books launch Whitechapel Project Space, London, 2005
All At Once, Together, At The Same Time Colony Gallery, Birmingham, 2005
Twinned City Three Colts Gallery, London, 2005 * (works made in collaboration)
Unrealised Projects 1000000mph, London, 2004 (work made in collaboration)
Field Of Vision: New York The Lab Gallery, New York, 2004
Scenes In Perspective ArtTower Agora, Athens, 2003
Narcissism: Self Love To Death Gozo Contemporary, Malta, 2003
The Painting Class Lethaby Gallery, London, 2002