60th Street
2017
Mixed media / collage

Leroy Johnson (b. Philadelphia, 1937–2022) made art about the urban landscape of Philadelphia for over 50 years, working in mediums ranging from painting to collage and assemblage sculpture. Chronicling the evolving landscape of Philadelphia, his paintings and architectural sculptures offer juxtapositions of social tensions, historical moments, and urban structures in conversation with the lives of African Americans in the city. This work highlights Johnson’s interest in Philadelphia street corners, the interwoven histories of generations, and the most pressing conditions facing contemporary black families, including inadequate access to medical treatment, police brutality and the response of the Black Lives Matter movement, and gentrification. What sets Johnson and his work apart is his unflinching depiction of the world outside our doors, bringing attention to the forces and lives that have continuously shaped the City of Brotherly Love.