A ceremony was held at the Florence Museum on Wednesday, April 11, 2012 where the Trustees of the Florence Museum and the United States Postal Service proudly announced the circulation of a commemorative Forever® stamp honoring Florence, SC native William H. Johnson, featuring still-life Flowers. Flowers, an oil-on-plywood painting dated 1939-1940, depicts a vase of boldly rendered, brightly colored blooms on a small red table. The consciously “naive” style in which Flowers was painted was one of the many techniques of modernist abstraction and “primitive” art adapted by Johnson during his career. A gift of the Harmon Foundation, the painting belongs to the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
The Florence Museum has made a commitment to honor the life of William H. Johnson and to interpret his importance to our community and the art world. Currently the Museum exhibits five of his works representing distinct periods of the artist’s development. In May of 2012, the Florence County Museum will begin construction on its new facility in downtown Florence. Strengthening their commitment, the new facility will provide a larger opportunity to honor Johnson’s life, artistic contributions and heritage.
To learn more about, William H. Johnson (1901-1970) please visit our Johnson page.