Lars Johnson

Lars Johnson was born in 1949 in Seattle Washington and grew up in San Francisco. After high school he worked as a merchant seaman, attended college, and spent time living in France and North Africa. From the early 1970s through the turn of the century Lars worked as a professional musician.

In 1976 Lars Johnson was one of a dozen artists selected by the San Francisco Arts Commission to execute a mammoth 5000 square foot mural lining the interior of pier 2 at Fort Mason. This was under the direction of noted painter Arthur Monroe and SFAI instructor Jack Frost. For the next 10 year Lars continued to receive commissions for murals Bay Area wide.

Lars Johnson began his career as a printmaker learning etching with master printer Terry Jones. He perfected his technique in aquatint with the Fort Mason Printmaker Cooperative directed by Eleanor Rappe. Lars was admitted to the California Society of Printmakers in 1979.

During the early 1980’s Lars Johnson worked steadily as a medical illustrator. He illustrated a number of articles published in internationally recognized medical journals and illustrated a medical textbook. Through scientific inquiry Lars became interested in the abstract beauty of the natural world. This led ...

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 "Lars Johnson: Selected Works", 555 Oakland City Center, Oakland CA [Slate Contemporary]
2011 "Inside/Outside", Mona Lease Gallery, Greenbrae CA
2010 "Recent Oil Paintings", 501 Beale St, San Francisco CA [Lisa Lee Smith Art Consultant]
2010 "Lichen", 505 Sansome St, San Francisco CA [Jan Casey and Associates]
2010 "Forms and Shapes", 425 Market St, San Francisco CA [Jan Casey and Associates]
2009 "Lars Johnson: A Painting Retrospective", 555 California St, San Francisco CA [Jan Casey and Associates]
2007 "Lyrical Abstractions", North Reno Library, Sierra Arts, Reno NV
2006 Gualala Arts Center, Gualala CA
2004 856 Folsom Gallery, San Francisco CA
1986 Yosemite National Park CA
1981 University of California San Francisco, San Francisco CA

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022 "Contemporary Bay Area Abstract" The Belvedere Tiburon Art Gallery, Tiburon CA
2022 "Renewal" The Belvedere Tiburon Art Gallery, Tiburon CA
2020 "The de Young Open" The de Young Museum, San Francisco CA
2019 "5 California Artists" Gallery Fritz, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2018 Annual Printmakers Exhibition, San Geronimo Valley Community Center, San Geronimo CA
2017 "Harry Cohen and Friends", San Geronimo Valley Community Center, San Geronimo CA
2015 "Trans...