Thomas Berger Johnson, 1944
Thomas B. Johnson was born in Omaha, Nebraska to parents of Swedish extraction. In early childhood he displayed a talent for drawing which he continued to refine throughout his life.
His formal training began at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, where his mentor, the Swedish artist Birger Sandzen, also became his good friend. Next he studied with Robert Reid at the Broadmoor Academy of Art in Colorado Springs, and later at the Minneapolis School of Art in Minnesota.
At his death in 1968, Thomas Johnson left behind more than 40 canvases, many block prints, and numerous pencil drawings. The latter include a series intended to illustrate a “Hymnal for Black Americans,” and another based on American Indian mythology. Several pieces of metal sculpture are considered by many to be his best work.
