A trove of paintings by Eddie Johnson, an obscure artist who photographed President John F. Kennedy in 1962 as assistant to Elaine de Kooning, has been discovered in a storage unit in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The archive, saved from disposal by the artist's estate, includes a major series of bunny-themed works created between 1972 and 1995, all based on a worn plush toy. Artist Matthan Cowart organized the exhibition "Hares on the Mountain" at his gallery Desert Mystery Center, pairing Johnson's bunny paintings with works by 11 living artists including David Altmejd and Ed Haddaway.
The discovery matters because it rescues a significant body of work by an artist who died in obscurity and whose oil paintings were long thought lost. Johnson's photographs of JFK were published in Life magazine, and his bunny paintings offer a unique blend of abstract-expressionist technique and pop-culture subject matter, bridging the legacy of de Kooning with contemporary art. The exhibition also highlights the role of artist-run spaces in recovering overlooked art histories and fostering cross-generational dialogue.