Johnson, James Rosser (1916-2008)

Dates

• Existence: 1916 - 2008

Biography

James R. Johnson came to Cleveland in 1954 for a position as assistant professor of art at what was then Western Reserve University. Five years later he became the associate curator of education at the CMA. Under the leadership of curator Thomas Munro, the department led the museum world in its programs for children. In 1967 Munro retired; Johnson was appointed curator. That year, the museum began a new emphasis on adult programming to include university-level education in art. The department began a joint program in art history at Case Western Reserve University with expanded courses, lectures, and programs for adults. Johnson’s years as an assistant professor at Case were doubtless a strong asset for facilitating this development. The title of the department at the CMA was changed from Education to Art History and Education to reflect the changes under which several members of the museum staff, including Johnson, were appointed adjunct professors at the university.

Also in 1967, the museum announced in its Bulletin that a new wing was to be built, designed by Marcel Breuer, to meet the pressing need for additional exhibition space and for the Art History and Education Department. In the first semester in the new wing, in 1971, courses for adults included African Art, Photography for the Art Historian, The Amarna Age in Egypt, Zen and the Visual Arts in the Collections of the CMA, and Early Renaissance Painting in the CMA.

Originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Johnson received the AB degree from Harvard College in 1941. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and the US Army Transportation Corp, achieving the rank of 2nd Lieutenant in 1945-46. The following year he studied at the Paris-Sorbonne University. He received his PhD from Columbia University in 1960. For his dissertation, Johnson photographed the stained-glass windows of Chartres Cathedral by means of a scaffold to capture eye-level detail. He developed his dissertation for a book, The Radiance of Chartres (1964). In addition to medieval art, Johnson’s self-described special interests were Baroque art, American Colonial architecture, music (he played piano) and photography.

Johnson left the museum in 1972 to become dean of the School of Fine Arts and professor of art at the University of Connecticut. He retired in 1986, at which time the James R. Johnson Art History Award for outstanding undergraduate art history majors at the University of Connecticut was established. Johnson died in Storrs, Connecticut in 2008.

-Biography by Anne Cuyler Salsich, March 2025

Occupations

• Cleveland Museum of Art Staff Member

Found in 7 Collections and/or Records: