Ynez Johnston Paintings

American, 1920-2019

Frances Ynez Johnston (May 12, 1920 – 2019) was an American painter, sculptor, printmaker and educator. Her artwork is modernist and abstract with a narrative of imaginative lands or creatures, and often featuring collage. Johnston was born on May 12, 1920, in Berkeley, California. She attended University of California, Berkeley to study with Worth Ryder and received her bachelor of fine arts in 1941. She traveled to Mexico in the early 1940s to continue her studies, returning to Berkeley in 1943, earning her Masters of Fine Arts in 1946. In 1960 she married novelist and poet John Berry. In the years following she produced prints through the Tamarind Lithography Workshop. Johnston started teaching art classes at various universities and colleges in 1950 and ended teaching in 1980.[8] She began at University of California, Berkeley (1950–1951) and then continued her teaching career at Colorado Springs Fine Art Center (1954–1955), Chouinard Art Institute (1956), California State College (1966–1967, 1969, 1973), the University of Jerusalem (1967), and Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design (1978–1980). Her work is featured in various permanent collections including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Spencer Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, Fullerton College, the McNay Art Museum, the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and others. Johnston was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1952 for fine art, which allowed her travel to Italy. In 1955–1956 she was awarded the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation grant for painting and printmaking, and was awarded the National Endowment for the Art (NEA) grant in 1976 and 1986. In addition to her intricate prints and paintings, Johnston also created three dimensional pieces in collaboration with her husband and with ceramic sculptor Adam Mekler. Her watercolors, oils and etchings of the 1950s and 1960s were rich with complex imagery, and displayed a disciplined, restrained use of color. In later mixed-media pieces, she examined the tactile qualities of surface. Her paintings incorporated soil, acrylic, dyes, encaustic on cloth, canvas, and raw silk. Composite forms suggest ambiguous architectural, human, animal and plant shapes. Johnston cited Persian and Indian miniatures as influences but also drew inspiration from European abstract artists Matisse, Miro, Klee and Picasso. Ynez Johnston died in 2019 in Los Angeles, California.

Artist: Ynez Johnston

Ynez JohnstonYnez Johnston Acrylic on Canvas, 1993 - "White Island", 1993

$12,400Sale Price|20% Off

Ynez Johnston Acrylic on Canvas, 1993 - "White Island"

By Ynez Johnston

Located in Phoenix, AZ

Ynez Johnston (1820 - 2019). Original Acrylic on Canvas, created 1993. Titled: “White Island.” Signed, dated and titled on the verso. The painting measures 24"h x 18"w. The frame ...

Category

Late 20th Century Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Ynez Johnston"Desert Figures" Mixed Media by Ynez Johnston '1920-2019', 1963

$6,800

"Desert Figures" Mixed Media by Ynez Johnston '1920-2019'

By Ynez Johnston

Located in Palm Desert, CA

This unique work in mixed media is by Ynez Johnston. Amidst a pale of grays, greens and blue, Johnston intricately created this piece with different textures, drawings and etchings. ...

Category

1960s Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Paint

Abstract, 1980s

$210

H 10 in W 8 in D 0.1 in

Abstract

Located in Houston, TX

French abstract in tones of blues, black and purple, 1980s. Original artwork on paper displayed on a white mat with a gold border. Mat fits a standard-size frame. Archival pla...

Category

1980s Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Abstract Painting, 1986

$350

H 20 in W 16 in D 0.1 in

Abstract Painting

Located in Houston, TX

Abstract painting accented in bright hues of red, blue and a soft lavender by French artist AM Vivent, 1986. Signed and dated lower right. Original artwork on paper displayed on a ...

Category

1980s Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Vintage French Gouache - Abstract, Circa 1930

$350

H 16 in W 20 in D 0.1 in

Vintage French Gouache - Abstract

Located in Houston, TX

French gouache painting, circa 1930. This abstract piece stands out for its bright hues and sharp, interconnected geometric shapes. Original one-of-a-...

Category

1930s Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

French Abstract - Glass Blowers, Circa 1960

$250

H 16 in W 0.1 in D 20 in

French Abstract - Glass Blowers

Located in Houston, TX

French abstract gouache painting of three figures blowing glass backed by geometric shapes in light pastel hues, circa 1960. Original artwork on paper displayed on a white mat with ...

Category

1960s Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Gouache, Paper

CollioureFrench Abstract, 1968

$250

H 20 in W 16 in D 0.1 in

French Abstract

By Collioure

Located in Houston, TX

Fetching acrylic and fixed oil pastel abstract incorporating a myriad of jewel tone colors by French artist Collioure, 1968. Original one-of-a-kind artwork on paper displayed on a w...

Category

1960s Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil Pastel, Acrylic

Abstract on Black, 1990s

$290

H 14 in W 11 in D 0.1 in

Abstract on Black

Located in Houston, TX

Abstract in tones of yellows and red with highlights of blue on black paper, 1990s. Original artwork on paper displayed on a white mat with a gold border. Mat fits a standard-si...

Category

1990s Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Michael KeifersRed Abstract, 1980s

$250

H 6.75 in W 10.25 in D 0.25 in

Red Abstract

By Michael Keifers

Located in Houston, TX

Abstract painting featuring a rich geometric patchwork of reds, pinks, and golds, by artist Michael Keifers, circa 1980. Signed lower left. Original artwork on paper. Archival pla...

Category

1980s Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Eyes in Blue Abstract, 2011

$210

H 11 in W 14 in D 0.1 in

Eyes in Blue Abstract

Located in Houston, TX

Modern watercolor painting including detailed eyes in blue, 2011. Original artwork on paper displayed on a white mat with a gold border. Mat fits a standard-size frame. Archiva...

Category

2010s Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

French Abstract Painting - Dynamic Geometric Shapes and Movement, 2011

$250

H 16 in W 20 in D 0.1 in

French Abstract Painting - Dynamic Geometric Shapes and Movement

Located in Houston, TX

Dynamic acrylic abstract painting, combining bold geometric shapes in black with deep jewel tones of blue, green, and purple by French artist Eros, 2011. Signed lower left. Origina...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Acrylic Abstract - Floating Blossoms, Circa 1990

$125

H 12 in W 0.1 in D 16 in

Acrylic Abstract - Floating Blossoms

Located in Houston, TX

Light and colorful acrylic abstract of flower like shapes against a bright red background by Imes, circa 1990. Original artwork on paper displayed on a white mat with a gold borde...

Category

1990s Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

Spe English Abstract Painting - Modern Grass, 2014

$150

H 20 in W 16 in D 0.1 in

English Abstract Painting - Modern Grass

By Spe

Located in Houston, TX

Modern abstract painting of grass and leaves by artist Spe, 2013. Signed lower right. Original artwork on paper displayed on a white mat with a go...

Category

2010s Abstract Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Spe English Abstract Painting - Modern Grass, 2013

$150

H 20 in W 16 in D 0.1 in

English Abstract Painting - Modern Grass

By Spe

Located in Houston, TX

Modern abstract painting of grass and leaves by artist Spe, 2013. Signed lower right. Original artwork on paper displayed on a white mat with a go...

Category

2010s Abstract Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Abstract, Circa 1970

$320

H 11 in W 14 in D 0.1 in

Abstract

Located in Houston, TX

Vibrant abstract painting signed Nylon lower left, circa 1970. Original artwork on paper displayed on a white mat with a gold border. Mat fits a standard-size frame. Archival p...

Category

1970s Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Ink, Acrylic, Tissue Paper

Green Abstract, 2000

$240

H 14 in W 11 in D 0.1 in

Green Abstract

Located in Houston, TX

Abstract painting from Santa Fe, New Mexico, early 2000. Original artwork on paper displayed on a white mat with a gold border. Mat fits a standard-size frame. Archival plastic sl...

Category

Early 2000s Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Lacey Abstract, 2013

$150

H 20 in W 16 in D 0.1 in

Lacey Abstract

Located in Houston, TX

Abstract painting on bold bluish/dark gray background with shades of gold/borwn by English artist Spe, 2013. Signed lower right. Original artwork on paper displayed on a white mat w...

Category

2010s Abstract Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Previously Available Items

Ynez JohnstonUntitled, 1948

Sold

H 21.25 in W 26.75 in D 0.75 in

Untitled

By Ynez Johnston

Located in Denver, CO

Mixed media on paper. Presented in a custom frame, outer dimensions measure 21 ¼ x 26 ¾ x ¾ inches. Image size is 13 ¼ x 19 ¼ inches. A native of Berkeley, Johnston's artistic talent received encouragement from her family who enrolled her in Saturday classes at the California College of Arts in Oakland with excursions to the de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco. In 1941 she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of California at Berkeley and the Bertha B. Taussig Memorial Award for the outstanding graduate in fine arts. Her instructors Worth Ryder, Erle Lorain and Margaret...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Ynez Johnston Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Ynez Johnston paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Ynez Johnston paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Ynez Johnston in mixed media, paint, paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1950s and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Ynez Johnston paintings, so small editions measuring 18 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Rex Ashlock, Fred Mitchell, and Charles Ragland Bunnell. Ynez Johnston paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $9,500 and tops out at $9,500, while the average work can sell for $9,500.