Visiting The David Johnson Collection

During the Easter period, I traveled to London to meet with my younger brother, who now works in Switzerland. While the primary purpose of my visit was to explore Cypriot antiquities, my brother had a different agenda. Apart from spending days shopping, he wanted to visit Savile row to have a second bespoke suit made by the renowned bespoke house - Edward Sexton. After my brother accomplished his goals, I managed to persuade him to accompany me to Room 72 of the British Museum, which houses an impressive collection of ancient Cypriot artifacts.

1: Oinochoe with Swastikas and Arrows

Room 72 contains a small part of the amazing Cypriot collection at the British Museum. In this picture, you can see three striking statues. Two are from later Cypriot periods, while the third is a very uncommon Plank figure from the Bronze Age.

Although I love the British Museum collections, it wasn't the most memorable part of my trip. Later on, I met up with my friend Kyri, who owns an impressive collection of South Italian Greek pottery and some Cypriot pieces like Oinochoe, a limestone figure, and Bronze Age bowls. Kyri has been a great mentor, showing me the ins and outs of the complex and often secretive world of antiquities.

Kyri treated me to some Cypriot salted pastries that we call Almira at his families bakery in north London. He also gave me a jug he had been keeping for me (Artifact 1). After that, we headed out to meet with David Johnson.

David Johnson

Born and raised in England, David has dedicated his life to the pursuit of artistic expression. A prolific creator, his extensive body of work spans from the late 1970s through to the mid-2000s, with many of his captivating pieces showcased on his website. David's unwavering commitment to his craft has resulted in a rich collection of art that serves as a testament to his talent, passion, and creative vision.

Art over Time

In the early stages of his artistic journey, beginning around 1977, David focuses on the invisible aspects of the reality we experience [1]. A few years later, in 1984, he starts creating assemblages using day to day objects and slide projections, attempting to model the relationship between mind and matter. However, he soon becomes dissatisfied with this approach.

Secret Sea no1: https://david-johnson.co.uk/artwork/secret-sea-no1.html

The unexpected influence of Magritte's window paintings, particularly "La Condition Humaine" and a later work depicting a broken window, inspire David to restructure his works. He starts exploring the metaphor of inside and outside, as seen in his piece "Secret Sea No.1," which features a boat full of water with oars turned inwards.

Another of his early 1980s works is "The Bath" (1984), this piece, consisting of a real iron bathtub with a slide of the sky projected into it, marks a significant development in David's work. It explores the inversion of inside and outside, with the bath symbolizing the human body containing the sky or the universe. The work combines readymade materials with elements of alchemy and metaphor.

Through works like "The Bath" and "Facing the Dark", David explores metaphors of inside/outside, light/dark, being/non-being to evoke the ambiguity of reality and consciousness. Rather than illustrating ideas, he aims to create experiences that position the viewer in relation to their own sense of reality.

Ghosts (remembering my father): https://david-johnson.co.uk/artwork/ghosts-remembering-my-father.html

David suggests that art, like religion, reflects a way of experiencing life - illuminating the world through consciousness and language [1]. He strives to make art that engages deeply with the nature of being human, containing something of life's profundity that can't be fully grasped. In doing so, he calls for the art world to once again value this "grand seriousness" and depth [1].

His work in the 90s and 2000s continues to explore these themes, with several artworks touching on themes of death, whether of his relatives or victims of natural disasters. One of my favourites is Ghosts (remembering my father) which he created in 2006.

Although David's artistic output slowed down in the late 2000s, with his last exhibit taking place in 2012, his impact and the evolution of his art through time will be here to stay.

Several catalogues of David's work have been published and are available through his website, ensuring that his unique perspective and contributions to the art world will continue to inspire and challenge audiences for generations to come.

The David Johnson Collection

In 2014, a couple of years after his last art exhibit, David discovered the world of Cypriot antiquities and quickly fell in love with these mysterious objects. His first acquisition was a small but beautiful Cypro-Geometric Kylix, but he soon discovered the world of Bronze Age Cyprus and immediately fell in love.

Over the course of just a few years, from 2014 to 2019, he amassed a collection of over 250 incredible artifacts including many one of a kind items that many museums wish they could get their hands on.

Our visit to his collection was too short, I could have spent hours going over every single piece. There are too many incredible pieces to list, from the rare double headed plank figures, to the complex composite Bronze Age vessels, to the free field Oinochoe, his collection hosts an incredibly broad set of unique artifacts.

During the course of building this impressive collection, David came across the closure and subsequent sale of the Jacksonville Cyprus Museums artifacts. David jumped in to save these items from being lost to private hands forever, and purchased many of the core collections pieces for a hefty price.

In 2019, David decided to attempt to repatriate his collection to Cyprus, offering to pay many of the hefty costs associated with this process. This turned out not to be so easy, after the closure of the Cyprus Museum in Jacksonville, even donating such an amazing collection to a museum in Cyprus itself seemed an impossible task, with the collection being under the threat of seizure should it arrive on Cypriot soil.

With the help of the Walk of Truth NGO which has the famous Icon Hunter of Cyprus Tasoula Hadjitofi as one of its Directors, the mission of repatriating his collection was now a possibility. While everything seemed to be going well, some issues quickly arose, such as the advent of Covid 19 and issues with the repatriation agreement. More issues arose over time, but now (mid 2024), finally, the donation can hopefully proceed.

The collection is to be moved to the Kykkos Monastery, with a majority of the collection being on display at any one time. I look forward to seeing the collection once it arrives there safely.

Lunch at Kenwood House

Kyri invited David and I to lunch at the famous Kenwood house which is host to incredible art from Rembrandt, Turner and others.

Meeting with David and seeing his collection were the highlight of my London trip. David is an inspiring figure, having spent incredible resources and effort safeguarding the cultural heritage of Cyprus. I hope that the repatriation goes smoothly, and that his collection will be viewable by all for many generations to come.

I hope to see him again on my next visit to London. I also want to thank my friend Kyri for his hospitality, kindness and generosity. Without him, much of this would not have been possible.