Kate Dempsey Martineau (Ph.D. in Art History, 2013) recently published her first book, Ray Johnson: Selective Inheritance. Having studied Johnson since her internship at the Blanton Museum of Art, Martineau highlights Johnson’s work as a popular Pop Art figure in the 50s. She was intrigued by Johnson’s collage and Correspondence art after historian Leo Steinberg donated his collection to the Blanton in 2002.
Martineau wrote in her Corresponding with Ray Johnson blog post, “I was inspired to learn more about this quirky artist and began gathering all the research that I could. Everything that I learned made me want to know more until finally other pursuits fell by the way side and Johnson became my academic obsession. Over the years, this topic became my master’s thesis, a number of conference papers and catalog essays, my dissertation, and ultimately this book."
She also writes of Johnson’s connection with other artists such as Andy Warhol, Anni Albers, Jackson Pollock and Marcel Duchamp. As Johnson was so fond of connecting with people and art, Martineau hopes her book can connect more people to Johnson’s work.
“Johnson strove to connect things and people—collaging together acquaintances and ideas just as he did images. Even after his death he continues to weave seemingly separate entities into his intricate web. Researching Johnson has taken me on a wild ride though a panoply of subjects. All along the way I have met fascinating people—with whom I am now connected though our appreciation of Johnson and his art. I hope that my book will be the thread for more people to pick up and enter the labyrinthine world of Johnson,” Martineau said.
The book was published by The University of California Press and is available to purchase on their website.