Eric Johnson
location: New York, USAEric Johnson is an award-winning photographer and artist originally from Newark, New Jersey, and now based in New York City. His gift for portraiture is one of the hallmarks of his art. Through his work, he embraces the soul of New York, bringing together individuals from all walks of life as a community.
Johnson’s archive goes back more than 30 years, with work published in Rolling Stone, 032c, Vogue, Dazed & Confused, The Face, i-D, W ,The New York Times, Interview and V Magazine, to name a few. He has photographed a dizzying array of luminaries from across the spectrum — from Muhammad Ali to Cindy Sherman, from Gus Van Sant to Lady Gaga, from Jim Jarmusch to Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton. Johnson is best known for his work in the 1990’s and early 2000’s documenting music and culture, particularly the hip-hop and R&B scene, and much of his work has come to define that era - including Nas, Missy Elliott, Mar J. Blige, and the late Notorious B.I.G. and Aaliyah, as well as Lauryn Hill for the cover art of her masterpiece “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”, among countless others.
His work has always been representative of the current zeitgeist and his community around him, capturing names like f.k.a. Twigs, Ian Isiah, Eartheater, Juliana Huxtable, and Kelsey Lu at his renowned New York studio, Upstairs At Eric’s. And, his more recent work with the likes of Doja Cat, Glorilla, Doechii, Chloe & Halle, Pusha T, and Shygirl, places him at the heart of contemporary pop music culture today.
Abbey Road Studios awarded Eric its inaugural ICON AWARD at its first Music Photography Awards for his unparalleled contributions to the field, and V Magazine proclaimed Eric an “unsung hero” when featuring him in the August 2022 edition of its HEROES series.
Johnson’s story continues to bring together and capture some of the most distinct and individual creatives who exist on the edge of culture, and redefine it from the outside in.
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