Born in New York, NY, 1978
Education
MFA, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 2003
Artist residency, Fondazione Ratti, Como, Italy, 2002
BFA, Maryland Institute College of Art Baltimore, MD, 2000
New York Studio Program (AICAD), New York, NY, 1999
Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA
One-Person Exhibitions
2021
Project Room: Matt Johnson, 303 Gallery, New York, NY
2019
Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
2018
0,1,1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, Marlborough Contemporary, London, UK
2017
Wood Sculpture, 303 Gallery, New York, NY
2015
Lautner Beams, MOCA Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood, CA
2014
Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
2013
Alison Jacques Gallery, London, UK
2012
303 Gallery, New York, NY
2011
Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
2010
Alison Jacques Gallery, London, UK
2009
Super System, Taxter & Spengemann, New York, NY
2006
Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
2005
Taxter & Spengemann, New York, NY
2004
Taxter & Spengemann, New York, NY
Group Exhibitions
2024
Overserved, curated by Raffi Kalenderian & Alberto Cuadros, Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NY
Raffi & Al's Legendary Garden Party, Vielmetter, Los Angeles, CA
Friends of the Pod, Broadway Gallery, New York, NY
2020
5,471 miles, Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
Friend of Ours, organized by Benjamin Godsill and Joel Mesler, Rental Gallery, East Hampton, NY
2019
303 Gallery: 35 Years, 303 Gallery, New York, NY
2018
This is a Pipe: Realism and the Found Object in Contemporary Art, Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago, IL
Fool the Eye, curated by Franklin Hill Pereel with Debbie Wells, Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn, NY
An Homage to Hollis Benton, curated by Aaron Moulton, Over the Influence, Los Angeles, CA
The Artist is Present, curated by Maurizio Cattelan, Yuz Museum, Shanghai, China
Seeing Eye Awareness, curated by Aaron Moulton, Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Death is Irrelevant, Hudson Valley MOCA, Peekskill, NY
2017
Concrete Island, Venus Over Los Angeles, CA
Jump Ball, Dio Haria, Mykonos, Greece
99 Cents or Less, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, MI
alt-facts, Postmasters Gallery, New York, NY
2016
6s and 7s, Marlborough Gallery, New York, NY
Wanderlust, High Line Art, New York, NY
Phoenix Rising: The Valley Collects, Phoenix Art Museum, AZ
2015
Love or the Lack of It, Travesía Cuatro, Madrid, Spain
Small Sculpture, Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago, IL
2014
Broadway Morey Boogie, Broadway Malls, New York, NY, presented by Marlborough Chelsea, New York, NY
2012
Eagles, Marlborough Gallery, Madrid, Spain
Funny., FLAG Art Foundation, New York, NY
The Perfect Show, 303 Gallery, New York, NY
Lifelike, Walker Museum of Art, Minneapolis, MN; traveled to New Orleans Museum of Art, LA;
Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA; Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas at Austin, TX
Blind Cut, Marlborough Chelsea, New York, NY Object Fictions, James Cohan Gallery, New York, NY
2011
Burning, Bright: A Short History of the Light Bulb, Pace Gallery, New York, NY
Greater LA, 2nd Floor of 483 Broadway, New York, NY
2010
11th Triennale für Kleinplastik, Fellbach, Germany (exh. cat.)
2009
Abstract America, Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
Second Nature: The Valentine-Adelson Collection, UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
15th Anniversary Inaugural Exhibition, Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
Born in the Morning, Dead by Night, Leo Koenig, New York, NY
2008
PM Dawn, Taxter & Spengemann, New York, NY
Shape of Things to Come: New Sculpture, Saatchi Gallery, UK
The Form Itself, Priska C. Juschka Fine Art, New York, NY
2007
Making Do, Yale University School of Art Gallery, New Haven CT
All About Laughter: Humor in Contemporary Art, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (exh. cat.)
Makers and Modelers, Gladstone Gallery, New York, NY
Objects, Karma International, Zurich, Switzerland
Sculptors' Drawings: Ideas, Studies, Sketches, Proposals, and More, Angles Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
Time Difference, The Frank Cohen Collection, Initial Access Gallery, Wolverhampton, UK
2006
The World is Round, Public Art Fund, MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY (exh. cat.)
Clarissa Dalrymple’s Exhibition of Young Artists to Benefit the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Bortolami Dayan, New York, NY
2005
Uncertain States of America: American Art in the 3rd Millennium, Astrup Fearnley, Oslo, Norway; traveled to Bard College, New York, NY; Serpentine Gallery, London, UK; Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland; Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague, Czech Republic (exh. cat.)
Art Rock, Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY
Sutton Lane in Paris, Sutton Lane c/o Galerie Ghislaine Hussenot, Paris, France Thing, UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA (exh. cat.)
2004
Magic Show, Hayworth Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Mystery Achievement, Taxter & Spengemann, New York, NY
Slouching Towards Bethlehem, The Project, New York, NY
Drunk vs. Stoned, Gavin Brown’s Passerby, New York, NY
Nature Study: A Selection of Artists' from New York and Los Angeles, California State University, Bakersfield, CA
2003
Another Sculpture Show, Angstrom Gallery, Dallas, TX
Buy Contortions, Taxter & Spengemann, New York, NY
Threedimetrical, Happy Lion, Los Angeles, CA
California Welcomes You, Scope, Los Angeles, CA
Ordinary Uncanny, Scope, New York, NY
Grant Selwyn Fine Art, Beverly Hills, CA
2002
Four Times One Minus One, Hayworth Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Fondazione Ratti, Como, Italy
Nanotechnology, The Whole Gallery, Baltimore, MD
Everything Everywhere, The H. Lewis Gallery, Baltimore, MD
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Catalogues
2021
Walker, Anne. Rowdy Meadow: House, Land, Art. New York: Vendome Press, 2021.
2018
Hoffman, Jens. 99 Cents or Less. Detroit, MI: Museum of Contemporary Art, 2018, 114-15.
2013
Mikkelsen, Egil, Magne Malmanger, and Margrethe Geelmuyden. Ekebergparken. Oslo: Orfeus, 2013.
2012
Engberg, Siri, ed. Lifelike. Minneapolis: Walker Art Center, 2012, 61, 170-71, 180.
Freeman, Jonah and Vera Neykov. Blind Cut. New York: Marlborough Gallery, 2012, 55.
Jacobson, Heidi Zuckerman, and James Frey. Funny. New York: Flag Art Foundation, 2012.
Spengemann, Pascal. Matt Johnson: Small Sculptures. Los Angeles: Wood Kusaka Studios,
2012.
2011
Cahill, James. Frank Benson, Mark Grotjahn, Matt Johnson. London: Sadie Coles, 2011.
2010
Gülicher, Nina. “Matt Johnson: Materielle Widersprüche.” In Larger Than Life: Stranger Than Fiction. Fellbach. Germany: Stadt Fellbach; Heule, Belgium: Snoeck, 2010, 128-29.
Johnson, Matt. Dice, The Meteorite (Duchamp), and The Electron. Los Angeles: Matt Johnson, 2010.
2009
Colburn, Tyler. “Matt Johnson.” In Vitamin 3-D: New Perspectives in Sculpture and Installation. London: Phaidon, 2009, 164-65.
2007
All About Laughter: Humor in Contemporary Art. Tokyo: Mori Art Museum, 2007.
2006
Steiner, Rochelle. The World is Round. New York: Public Art Fund, 2006.
2005
Birnbaum, Daniel, Gunnar B. Kvaran, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, eds. Uncertain States of America: American Art in the 3rd Millennium. Oslo: Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, 2005.
Thing: New Sculpture from Los Angeles. Los Angeles: Armand Hammer Museum of Art, 2005, 42-45.
Articles and Reviews
2020
"Matt Johnson at Blum & Poe, Los Angeles." MousseMagazine.it, January 2020.
Ludel, Wallace. "Matt Johnson Defies Gravity at Blum & Poe." CulturedMag.com, January 10, 2020.
Reiner-Roth, Shane. "Matt Johnson Exhibits Construction Equipment as Sculpture at Blum & Poe." Architect's Newspaper, January 7, 2020.
2019
“Matt Johnson’s Exhibition at Blum and Poe, Los Angeles.” Purple.fr, November 14, 2019.
2017
“9 Art Events to Attend in New York City This Week.” Artnews, January 9, 2017. "Goings on about Town: Matt Johnson." New Yorker, January 30, 2017, 12.
Schwabsky, Barry. "Matt Johnson: 303 Gallery." Artforum 55, no. 7 (March 2017): 265-266.
2016
Duray, Dan. “A Walking Tour of New York’s High Line with Cecilia Alemani.” The Art Newspaper, July 26, 2016.
2015
Carlson, Cajsa. "Art Basel 2015: Highlights." Cool Hunting (blog), June 24, 2015.
2012
Losk, Alice. “Flag Does Funny.” Artsicle.com (blog), September 26, 2012.
Shaw, Michael. “Matt Johnson: Turning 2x4s into Serendipity.” Notes on Looking (blog), November 2, 2012.
2011
Daichendt, G. James. “Matt Johnson: Blum & Poe.” Artillery 6, no. 2 (November-December 2011): 64-65.
Kleiman, Bill. “The Curious Case of Matt Johnson at Blum and Poe.” Los Angeles Art Gallery Tours (blog), October 14, 2011.
Knight, Christopher. “Art Review: Matt Johnson at Blum & Poe.” Los Angeles Times , September 29, 2011.
Smith, Roberta. “A Bit of Hollywood, Minus the Tinsel.” New York Times, May 31, 2011.
2010
Rosenberg, Karen. “Venerable, Small, and Lots of Paper (Including Napkins).” New York Times, March 5, 2010.
2009
Cotter, Holland. “Matt Johnson.” New York Times, February 13, 2009.
Finch, Charlie. “Pascal’s Puzzles.” Artnet.com, February 3, 2009.
Gartenfeld, Alex. “Matt Johnson’s Routine.” Interview, January 14, 2009.
“Matt Johnson.” New Yorker, January 21-27, 2009.
Sharp, Chris. “The Idiots.” ArtReview, no. 32 (May 2009): 80-84.
2007
McElheny, Josiah. “Readymade Resistance.” Artforum 46, no. 2 (October 2007): 327-335.
O’Reilly, Sally. “Funny Guys: All About Laughter.” ArtReview, no. 7 (January 2007): 24.
2006
Campagnola, Sonia. “Focus on Los Angeles.” Flash Art 39, no. 246 (January-February 2006):
71.
Casadio, Mariuccia. “Intimacy.” Vogue Italia, no. 666 (February 2006): 484-489.
Hackworth, Nick and Hans Ulrich-Obrist. “Hung & Drawn Art News: Uncertain States of
America.” Dazed & Confused 2, no. 33 (January 2006): 142.
Knight, Christopher. “Daring to Tread on the Turf of a Master.” Los Angeles Times, October 6,
2006.
Lee, Chris. “Master of All He Surveys.” ArtReview (International Edition) 4, no. 5 (May-June 2006): 74-79.
Searle, Adrian. “Rebels Without a Cause.” Guardian Unlimited, September 12, 2006.
2005
Finkel, Jori. “First Come the Dealers, and Then the Diplomas.” New York Times, p. 22-23, July 3, 2005.
Harvey, Doug. “Good Thing: Emerging LA Sculptors at the Hammer.” LA Weekly, February 6-10, 2005: 32-34.
Holte, Michael Ned. “Scene & Herd: West Coast Thing.” Artforum.com, Feb. 10, 2005.
Knight, Christopher. “Faces to Watch 2006.” Los Angeles Times, December 25, 2005.
Knight, Christopher. “The Next Big ‘Thing’ in L.A.: A Richly Satisfying Survey of New Sculpture from Southland Artists Energizes the Hammer.” Los Angeles Times, February 9, 2005.
Miles, Christopher. “The Idolaters’ Revenge.” Flash Art 38, no. 242 (May-June 2005): 104-108.
“On Now, On Soon.” Flash Art 37, no. 241 (March-April 2005): 45.
“Matt Johnson.” New Yorker, November 7, 2005: 20.
Spencer, Rosie. “Thing: New Sculpture from Los Angeles.” Contemporary, no. 75 (October 2005), 69-70.
2004
DiSilverio, Victoria. “A Night Out With: New Artist in Town.” New York Times, March 21, 2004.
Saltz, Jerry. “An Artist Worms Into Some Nicely Dicey Sculptural Terrain.” Village Voice, April 6, 2004.
Sholis, Brian. “Matt Johnson.” Artforum.com, March 31, 2004.
Subotnick, Ali, Massimiliano Gioni and Maurizio Cattelan. “Everybody was There: The Wrong Guide to New York in 2004.” Artforum 43, no. 4 (December 2004): 182-183.
Museum and Public Collections
Astrup Fearnley Museum of Art, Oslo, Norway
Ekebergparken Sculpture Park, Oslo, Norway
Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
Pérez Art Museum Miami, Miami, FL
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY