Jed Johnson (December 30, 1948 – July 17, 1996) was an American interior designer and film director. He first came to prominence through his close association with pop artist Andy Warhol before becoming recognized for his influential design work. The New York Times hailed him as "one of the most celebrated interior designers of our time."
Raised in California, Johnson moved to New York in 1968, where he began working at Warhol's Factory performing odd jobs. Following an assassination attempt on Warhol, Johnson moved in with the artist to aid in his recovery, and the two maintained a romantic partnership for 12 years. At the Factory, Johnson progressed from assisting Warhol and director Paul Morrissey to directing his own film, Bad (1977). He also edited several notable works, including Trash (1970), Heat (1972), Flesh for Frankenstein (1973), and Blood for Dracula (1974). After Warhol's death, Johnson was a founding member of the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board.
In addition to his work in film, Johnson became a highly acclaimed interior designer. Beginning with the decoration of the townhouse he shared with Warhol, he developed a distinctive style that combined minimalist elegance with bold, dramatic accents. He collected antiques and built a high-profile clientele that included Mick Jagger, Pierre Bergé, Yves Saint Laurent, and Barbra Streisand. Johnson's career was cut short when he was killed in the explosion of TWA Flight 800 in 1996.
Leaving behind a lasting impact on contemporary interior design, Johnson was posthumously inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame in 1996. Architectural Digest later named him as one of "The World's 20 Greatest Designers of All Time." In 2005, Rizzoli published Jed Johnson: Opulent Restraint, Interiors, a monograph and tribute by his twin brother, Jay Johnson, documenting his work.
Life and career
Early life and education
Jed Johnson was born in Alexandria, Minnesota, on December 30, 1948. He was the fourth of six children, born fifteen minutes after his fraternal twin brother Jay Johnson. They had two older brothers, Craig and Larry, and two younger sisters, Nancy and Susan. At the age of 10, Johnson's family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, for eight months before settling in Fair Oaks, California, where his father worked in construction. His mother, Vivian Christopher, was the family's sole provider after his parents' divorce, and his father returned to Minnesota.
Johnson and journalist Joan Lunden were junior high school sweethearts and remained lifelong friends. While in high school, Johnson took a summer school class in architecture at American River Junior College in Sacramento, California. After graduating from Bella Vista High School in 1967, he attended American River College.
Johnson and Jay decided to take a semester off and drive cross-country to Montreal, Canada, by car with an AWOL soldier. Their first stop was San Francisco, where they went to the Avalon Ballroom, and they saw musician Jimi Hendrix perform at The Fillmore in February 1968. Their car broke down on the Santa Monica Freeway while they were leaving Los Angeles after a brief stop, so they hitchhiked to Chicago, where they saw their father, who was visiting family. They boarded a train bound for Montreal, but immigration officials stopped them near Buffalo, New York. They were kicked off the train because they were thought to be draft evaders, so they took a Greyhound bus to New York City instead.
Early days in New York and the Factory The brothers found an apartment in Manhattan's East Village through a heroin addict, but were mugged and lost their last $200. When they went to collect money their mother had sent them, they were instead offered jobs at Western Union. On his third day working for Western Union in February 1968, Johnson delivered a telegram to the Decker building at 33 Union Square West, where Pop artist Andy Warhol had recently relocated his studio, the Factory. Paul Morrissey, Warhol's film collaborator and overseer of the Factory, liked the well-mannered messenger and hired him to help get the Factory into shape. Johnson began by stripping wood and quickly advanced to more general tasks, becoming the Factory's first regular salaried employee since Gerard Malanga. According to Malanga, Johnson briefly assisted Warhol with silkscreening, but disliked the hands-on, messy nature of the process, prompting Warhol to call Malanga back to resume the work.
Warhol also allowed Johnson and his brother to use his charge account at Max's Kansas City. After seeing their building, he expressed concern about the neighborhood's safety and encouraged Johnson to find a better apartment. They soon moved to a sixth-floor walk-up on East 17th Street and Irving Place with help from Warhol, who loaned Johnson $350 in key money for the deposit. The new apartment—still modest, with a bathtub in the kitchen and a toilet in the hall—placed them close to the Factory and around the corner from Max's.
Shortly after their move, radical feminist Valerie Solanas shot Warhol at the Factory on June 3, 1968. Warhol and Solanas had arrived at the building at the same time as Johnson, who had just returned from the hardware store, and the three rode the elevator up together. Johnson was in the back installing fluorescent lights when Solanas opened fire. He hid in Warhol's office, and when Solanas attempted to enter, he held the door shut to keep her out. As Warhol was taken to Columbus Hospital, Johnson and Warhol's business manager Fred Hughes were detained for questioning at the 13th Precinct police station until Solanas surrendered later that evening.
Relationship with Andy Warhol and film career Johnson visited Warhol daily during his hospitalization, and the two developed a close and enduring bond. Subsequently, Johnson moved into Warhol's Northern Renaissance Revival-style townhouse at 1342 Lexington Avenue in Carnegie Hill to help him recuperate and look after his ailing mother, Julia Warhola. During Warhol's recovery, a romance blossomed, and Johnson came to "fill the traditional role of a devoted young spouse." Johnson brought order to the household by painting the walls, arranging the furniture, and clearing out the clutter in the townhouse. He also accompanied Warhol's mother on weekly visits to the doctor and cared for her two elderly cats. Warhol's physician and friend Denton Cox later recalled of Johnson, "Jed was not in it for ulterior reasons. He loved Andy. In the early years, they were joined at the hip."
After expressing interest in working on sound, Warhol and Morrissey trained Johnson, and he started assisting them on their underground films. He taught himself how to edit film on the Factory's Moviola using clips of Lonesome Cowboy (1968). Warhol had intended for Johnson to edit his film San Diego Surf (1968), but after he was shot, the project was shelved. While Warhol was hospitalized, Johnson assisted Morrissey with filming Flesh (1968), in which he makes a cameo, and he did the sound for Blue Movie (1969). He also appeared as a hippie partygoer in John Schlesinger's Midnight Cowboy (1969).
Like Warhol, Johnson developed a strong interest in photography. In 1969, his work appeared in Al Hansen's underground magazine Kiss, which featured a gossip column by Warhol. Later that year, he became a staff photographer for Warhol's Interview magazine.Described as intensely quiet and shy, Johnson was Warhol's constant companion. He was an integral part of Warhol's inner circle, traveling with him for museum exhibitions, gallery shows, and portrait commissions. The press referred to Johnson as "Andy's shadow" and "Warhol's new standard of male beauty." In 1971, Warhol designed the cover for the Rolling Stones' album Sticky Fingers, which features a man's crotch in blue jeans with a real zipper. Although several people have claimed to be the man on the album cover, Johnson is generally believed to have been the model.
As an editor, Johnson worked on the films Trash (1970), Heat (1972), L'Amour (1972), Flesh for Frankenstein (1973), and Blood for Dracula (1974). He made his directorial debut with Bad (1977), starring Carroll Baker, which received mixed reviews. Although the film was a commercial failure, Johnson maintained that it was a good film while acknowledging that he had been in over his head. After its release, he abandoned filmmaking and began buying and selling antiques. His film Bad has since become a cult classic.
In 1977, Johnson's relationship with Warhol began to deteriorate, spurred on by Warhol's partying and his friendship with Victor Hugo. Johnson recalled: "When Studio 54 opened things changed with Andy. That was New York when it was at the height of its most decadent period, and I didn't take part. … I was always really shy and had a really hard time socially anyway, and I didn't like the people. Andy was just wasting his time, and it was really upsetting."
Johnson struggled with depression, which was exacerbated by Warhol's emotional distance; during their relationship, he attempted suicide twice, in 1970 and 1978. Johnson also aspired to become a pilot and paid for flying lessons in the early 1970s, but was unable to obtain his license due to his first suicide attempt. "Jed missed the affection—verbally and physically. Andy wasn't capable of expressing it in the way Jed needed … Jed felt very strongly about the relationship. He definitely had strong feelings for Andy, and it caused him a lot of pain," his brother Jay Johnson said. In October 1980, while still residing with Warhol, Johnson purchased a duplex apartment to use as an office for his decorating business at 15 West 67th Street. On December 21, 1980, Johnson informed Warhol that he had decided to move out and live in the duplex when he returned from a skiing trip in Colorado. A few days later, Johnson called Warhol on Christmas, but he would not come to the phone. He also gave him a Christmas card in which he wrote: "Andy, I don't know what you are looking for. Sorry you didn't find it at home. I don't think (or don't want to think) you'll get it from your Victors and Kevins and nights at Studio 54. You did have all my love and respect. I'm sorry it went wrong. Thinking of you with sincere love, Jed." Following their split, they shared custody of their two dachshunds, Archie and Amos.In 1982, Warhol amended his will to exclude Johnson. His business manager Fred Hughes remained the executor, and Vincent Fremont, vice president of Andy Warhol Enterprises, replaced Johnson as the backup executor. Despite this, friends and Factory associates perceived their breakup as one of Warhol's biggest regrets. According to a friend, Warhol showed him a photograph of Johnson that he kept in his wallet several years after their separation. Likewise, Johnson was devastated when Warhol died following gallbladder surgery in February 1987. He later spoke to biographer Victor Bockris about the "real strong influence" of Warhol's presence in his life. He said, "I still feel him today. When I do something I think, Well, gee, how would Andy do it?" In 1995, Johnson became a founding member of the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board, which was a private corporation that certified the authenticity of works by Warhol.
Throughout their relationship, Johnson amassed several of Warhol's paintings, including Silver Elvis, Front and Back Dollar Bills, Mao, Flowers, Self-Portrait, and a print portfolio of Electric Chair. Warhol also created portraits of Johnson and their dachshunds. Johnson's twin brother Jay Johnson inherited his art collection after his death.
Early interior design career