Incollect Magazine - Issue 6

64 www.incollect.com ANDY WARHOL’S FEDERAL PARLOR Jed Johnson’s curatorial skills are in evidence in this room, with an eye- popping collection of fine furniture from the first half of the nineteenth century, when the new republic was young and furniture makers borrowed classical forms and motifs from the birthplace of democracy. The caliber of the pieces creates an effect that transports the period room into the realm of timelessness. A pair of 1835 carved and gilded mahogany Philadelphia recamiers face across an 1825 painted and stenciled center table attributed to John Finlay, Baltimore’s best-known maker of fancy painted furniture. Partially obscured by the fireplace is an early twentieth- century Egyptian Revival parcel gilt and painted chair. A carved and inlaid circa 1820 Philadelphia secretary stands between windows dressed in extravagant period-style curtains designed by Jed Johnson. The Aubusson carpet is circa 1900. Photo: Norman McGrath ed Johnson: Opulent Restraint, first published in 2005, is now back in print. The book chronicles the fascinating arc of Johnson’s career, from the fateful day he delivered a telegram to Andy Warhol’s Factory and was offered a job as janitor, to his relationship with Warhol and his development into an interior design superstar. Through his Warhol connection, he was introduced to the worlds of wealth and celebrity, assembling a client list that included Mick Jagger, Richard Gere, Barbara Streisand and Pierre Berge, but he also worked on projects for non-celebs who sought him out for his ability to create rooms that resonated his unique brand of aesthetic perfection. Jed Johnson: Opulent Restraint by Jay Johnson © Rizzoli New York, 2023