Lester Johnson was a painter known for his depictions of people. He was born in Minneapolis, MN, and studied at the Minneapolis School of Art, the St. Paul Art School, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Johnson lived throughout Connecticut and New York later in his life. A multitude of group and solo exhibitions featured his work, including Acme Fine Art (Boston, MA), Steven Harvey Fine Arts Project (NY), Provincetown Art Association and Museum (MA), The William Benton Museum of Art, School of Fine Arts, University of Connecticut, (Storrs, CT), Museum of Modern Art (NY), The Whitney Museum of American Art (NY), and the University of Texas (Austin, TX), among numerous others. Johnson was also the recipient of many awards and honors, including an American Academy of Art and Letters: Jimmy Ernst Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Elected Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and an Elected Associate of the National Academy of Design.