Philip Johnson

Struggling with his homosexuality for the most part of his early life, Philip Johnson came out in the open in 1993. Johnson was the life partner of art curator and gallerist David Whitney. They were together for 45 years until his passing.

Coming from a WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) family, he was influenced to be anti-Semitic, anti-black with little respect for women. Later, he disassociated with these views and many of his clients were part of the very demographics he had shunned before.

He died of natural causes on January 25, 2005, at the age of 98. At the time of his death, he was residing at his Glass House retreat where he had lived for 58 years since 1960. At age 66, his partner David died the same year on June 12, 2005.

Philip Cortelyou Johnson was born in Cleveland, Ohio on July 8, 1906. His father was an attorney. He was one of the four children and the only son of his parents.

He was descendent of the Jansen family of New Amsterdam. One of his ancestors was the Huguenot Jacques Cortelyou, who laid out the first town plan of New Amsterdam.

He received his early education from Hackley School, New York. He was a bright student in school, and in 1923, he was admitted to Harvard University without an exam. At Harvard, he studied history and philosophy.

Philip Johnson’s maternal and paternal families were quite wealthy and hence he was destined to inherit an enormous amount of wealth. In 1924, his father handed down a high proportion of his fortune. Philip's sisters got cash, while he acquired Alcoa stock. His inheritance helped him to live a life of self-indulgence.

At this time, he was exploring his sexuality and often took time off from Harvard to discover Europe. It was during these trips that his interest in architecture began to develop.

During his travels, Johnson was fascinated by the architectural wonders of many ancient monuments. His meeting with architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1928 enhanced this fascination. Both went on to become lifelong friends, collaborators, and competitors.

In 1932, he became the director of “Department of Architecture” at the “Museum of Modern Art” (MoMA) in New York. With his architectural mentor, historian and critic Henry-Russell Hitchcock, he toured Europe and both created a show “Modern Architecture: International Exhibition”. They then co-wrote “The International Style: Modern Architecture Since 1922”.

During the Great Depression in 1934, he tried his hand at journalism and politics. He covered the Invasion of Poland (1939) and observed the Nuremberg Rallies in Germany. He returned to the USA and enlisted in the army and participated in World War II.

To study architecture, he joined “Harvard School of Design” and graduated with a “B.Arch.” in 1943. Marcel Breuer, the famous Hungarian-born architect was one of his teachers. His mentor, however, was Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

He returned as the director of the architectural department at MoMA and held the post from 1946 to 1954. This position helped him advocate modern architecture to the world.

The ‘Glass House’, also known as the ‘Johnson House’ is a 56x32 ft historic house museum that was one of many of his projects, built on his estate.. It is an important project for modern architecture and stands to show the brilliance and postmodern influence of Johnson.

Together with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Philip Johnson designed the internal aspects of the ‘Seagram Building’, a skyscraper in Park Avenue. The building is a perfectly functional and aesthetic masterpiece. He also designed ‘The Four Seasons’ and ‘Brasserie’ restaurants housed in the building.