I’ve been remiss in not mentioning the death of sculptor Seward Johnson, who died last week at the age of 89. If you’ve ever done a double take at an immoveable figure seated on a bench or banged your head against a bronze umbrella, chances are you are familiar with his work. Johnson was born in New Brunswick, NJ, in 1930.
He was especially adept at casting three dimensional realizations of works by the French masters, many of them on display at Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, a 42-acre sculpture park he established in 1992. His sense of whimsy was evident, whether expanding the world of Grant Wood’s “American Gothic” or casting a 26-foot Marilyn Monroe, caught in her iconic subway grate scene from “The Seven Year Itch.” Some would say he had the itch for kitsch. But Johnson was a populist at heart.
In his later years, he enjoyed leading sing-alongs of showtunes and American standards at Rat’s Restaurant, located on the grounds of Grounds. The grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I, founder of Johnson & Johnson, he also happened to be a nephew of Kirk Douglas.
PHOTO: “Unconditional Surrender,” by Seward Johnson