Willie & Holcha

Holcha WILLIE&

A collection of works by William H. Johnson, and his wife Danish artist Holcha Krake.

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William H. Johnson and Holcha Krake, c 1935-38. Photo courtesy of Johanna Voll.

William H. Johnson (1901-1970)

Holcha Krake (1885-1944)

William Henry Johnson was born in Florence, South Carolina in 1901. His mother, Alice Johnson, was of African American and Native American ancestry and his birth father was white. Alice soon married a local African American man and they had four additional children. William was interested in drawing at an early age, copying cartoon characters. When he was 18, he dropped out of school and accompanied his uncle to New York in search of better job opportunities. Two years later, when he was 20 years old, he had saved enough money to enroll at the National Academy of Design to study art. Johnson showed tremendous promise at the NAD and came to the attention of two well-respected painters, Charles Hawthorne and George Luks. They mentored him and raised enough money forJohnson to travel to Paris. Hawthorne suggested Johnson might have more success as a black artist in Europe initially, and upon proving himself there, possibly return to the States.

One of Johnson’s greatest influences in France was the work of Chaim Soutine. Soutine’s paintings were a step further than the Ashcan style works of Luks; they were Expressionist, and full of energy

and emotion. Landscapes, seascapes and buildings were frenzied, distorted and thickly painted. Johnson moved to Cagnes-sur-Mer, in the South of France, where Soutine had worked.

It was in Cagnes-sur-Mer, in 1929, when Johnson met a Danish tapestry weaver and ceramicist named Holcha Krake. Krake was born in Karlby Sogn, Denmark, and had studied textile design in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Holcha, her sister, Erna, and brother-in-law, Christoph Voll, were preparing to tour Europe’s museums and art centers, and invited William to come along. Voll was a sculptor and graphic artist connected to the German Expressionists, and Erna was an art student at the Dresden Kunstakademie. Eventually, the group returned to Holcha’s home of Odense, Denmark. Johnson and Holcha fell in love and married in 1930, and they lived in Kerteminde, a Danish fishing village. They kept a garden at their house, and Holcha likely used the flowers and other plants for making dyes to use in her textile work. Both artists used the flowers from the garden as subjects for their paintings, many times painting the same subject while sitting next to one another in the studio.

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Kerteminde, Denmark

Johnson admired the woodcut prints made by the Expressionists, especially the German, Max Beckmann, and the Norwegian, Edvard Munch, and these works reveal the influence of the Expressionists on not only Johnson’s style, but also his choice of medium. Johnson met Munch in 1932, introduced by Pola Gauguin, the son of painter Paul Gauguin. Holcha’s folk art philosophies were rooted in the past, but were shaped just as much by the progressive thinking of European modernism.

In 1932, the couple visited Tunisia, visiting the city of Nabeul. Holcha was excited to investigate the textile market, but quickly became equally enthralled with the ceramics being produced there. Nabeul was known for its excellent clay deposits and the husband and wife experimented with collaborative projects in ceramics. They both produced several watercolors of Tunisian subject matter (likely because it was easier to transport works on paper than canvas paintings). In 1939, they held a joint exhibit of their work in New York at The Artists Gallery, which featured watercolors, woodcuts, ceramics and tapestries (some of their travels in Africa). The couple stayed three months in Africa. Several of the watercolors by Holcha included in this collection depict portraits of people the couple saw in Tunisia.

Johnson returned to the United States with Holcha in 1938, planning to make the U.S. his permanent residence. He felt a need to succeed in his home country. This was a difficult time in the United States, and Johnson had no luck selling his work.

They received word in 1939 that their brother-in-law, Christoph Voll had died after being interrogated by the Nazis as a “degenerate artist”. Johnson eventually got a job through the W.P.A. teaching at the Harlem Community Art Center. He became enamored with the work of Horace Pippin and Jacob Lawrence and decided to change his style to what he called “primitive” (he had actually deemed himself a “primitive” earlier in his career, influenced by Paul Gauguin’s adoption of the term as a mindset—not a style of painting). Johnson’s new style embraced simplicity, and his subjects were calm and self-assured of their identity. He enjoyed his most productive period from 1939 through the mid 1940s.

On January 13, 1944, Holcha died of breast cancer, and Johnson returned to his hometown of Florence, South Carolina. He painted portraits and local scenes in his new style, but succumbed to grief about losing Holcha. In his devastated state, he developed a plan to return to Denmark to marry Holcha’s sister, Musse (Erna’s nickname), whom he had originally met in 1929. His proposal was rejected by Musse, but he remained with the Krake family for six months. He then moved to Oslo with the intention to exhibit his work there, but was in a state of declined mental health and was found wandering the streets. He was taken in by the Traveler’s Aid Society and shipped back to New York, where he was admitted to a state hospital in 1947. He remained there until his death in 1970, unable to recognize anyone and unable to paint.l

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Holcha, c. 1920 William H. Johnson at easel, c. 1930; William H. Johnson: An American Modern, Teresa G. Gionis, 2011; p.104 Christoph Voll Portrait of Erna Krake (Musse) by Christoph Voll, c. 1923

ABOUT THE COLLECTION

William H. Johnson, Holcha Krake, Holcha’s sister, Erna and her husband, Christoph Voll sailed together to Corsica in 1929 after a chance meeting in the South of France. The band of artists quickly became kindred spirits. Johnson was 28 and Holcha was 44, but they fell in love almost immediately. Their plan was to visit the museums and art centers of Europe. Upon completion of their European tour, the group disbanded: the Volls returned to Karlsruhe for fall classes at the Kunstakademie, Holcha returned to her home of Odense, Denmark to help her middle sister, Nanna, care for her elderly mother and Johnson boarded a ship headed for America. After only a brief stay, he traveled to Denmark to reunite with Holcha.

When Holcha died in 1944, her sister Nanna inherited her possessions, including numerous paintings, sketches, and prints by Johnson. When Nanna died in the

1980s, part of her estate was inherited by her niece, Johanna Voll. Johanna maintained an impressive collection of works by Christoph Voll, William H. Johnson and Holcha Krake.

Most of the collection, including numerous works by Johnson’s wife Holcha, were donated and sold to the Florence County Museum in South Carolina some years ago, but a few remained when Johanna passed away in February of 2023.

Black Art Auction is pleased to present this intimate collection of works by “Willie” and Holcha. It is a glimpse into the life and love they shared. A similar, but greatly expanded version of this collection may be seen at the Florence County Museum (South Carolina) as well as on their website. The works are offered for private sale as a complete collection.

http://www.flocomuseum.org/past-exhibitions/willie-and-holcha/

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Portrait, c. 1932 watercolor and gouache on cream paper 18 x 13-1/2 inches Holcha Krake (1885-1944)