Art_and_Antiques
Henry Stowers Johnson, photographed in 1972, collected more than a million pounds worth of pictures and antiques on a school master’s salary by having an eye for a bargain. The rooms of his modest suburban home at Brentwood, Essex, were filled with rare and exquisite furnishings from around the world, with porcelain, ivory and bronze figures. His walls were hung with paintings by Turner, Gainsborough, Whistler, Constable and Van Dyck. He was able to amass this astonishing collection on a modest wage because he became a self-taught expert with a fantastic knack of recognising genius in a work of art despite the ravages of age, dirt and neglect. Stowers Johnson started collecting during WWII after a German bomb destroyed his home. When I photographed him, the small detached house held more treasures per square inch than many palaces and museums. “I’ve never had vast sums so I bought with my brain, not my bank balance,” he told me. Pictures show: Mr Stowers Johnson with his wife; surrounded by his treasures at home and while preparing an exhibition of his collection. He is also seen in London antique shops tracking down further bargains.
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Blowing Up A Car for Art
12 Photos
When I photographed "Professor" Bruce Lacey, and his bizarre art, in 1962 he was clearly a free-thinker with a unique artistic vision. Today, according to Wikipedia he remains one of Britain's great eccentrics. His entry continues: “After completing his national service in the RAF he became established on the avantgarde scene with his performance art and mechanical constructs. He has been closely associated with The Alberts performance group and The Goon Show. His most famous appearance was as Paul McCartney's flute playing gardener in the Beatles' feature film Help!; and he had a part in Richard Lester's The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film. He also gains mention on the Fairport Convention L.P. "What We Did On Our Holidays" in the song "Mr Lacey", written by Ashley Hutchings. He toured England in the mid seventies with his children's SCI-FI theatre show and became involved in 'Earth Magic' with his then wife Jill Bruce, mounting a number of performance pieces and exhibitions. They moved to Norfolk and became part of a fair making network , Albion Fairs. Now aged 80 he lives in a farmhouse in Norfolk surrounded by a bizarre collection of his creations. In spite of ill health he is still working. His latest project he calls 'vox humana exploration' using his voice through a series of effects to perform his own songs plus those of David Bowie, Rod Stewart and Queen. Lacey contributed to Jasia Reichardt's Cybernetic Serendipity exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, exhibiting a robotic owl and actors: Rosa Bosom and Mate plus a sex-simulator.
31 Photos
World's Most Valuable Dolls House
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