#222 • Johnny Johnson "In the Land of Giants", "The Wild Bunch" & "In Harm's Way" Photographs

Part of The Johnny Johnson Estate Auction (timed auction by Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals)

Starting at $5.00

Status: Available

Bidding closes Nov 3, 2026 7:13 PM AKST

Category: Art

Three signed and numbered photographs by Alaska wildlife photographer Johnny Johnson (1947-2025). The first work, "In The Land Of Giants", is dated circa 2007 and numbered 28/950. It shows a large grizzly bear standing on its hind legs in a lush, vibrant green meadow. Johnson described the scene: "Few sights are more memorable than a face-to-face encounter with a monster grizzly. Standing over eight feet tall, my 600mm lens only magnified the bear's power and my own sense of vulnerability and awe. Weighing in excess of a thousand pounds, these huge males keep to themselves and are rarely seen. Since I was downwind, the bear couldn't catch my scent and stood, nostrils flaring. I spoke to him in a calm tone. "Hey, big bear. Hey, big bear...... Hey, big bear". I kept talking as he dropped to all fours and slowly ambled away." The second work, "The Wild Bunch", is dated circa 2014 and numbered 174/950. It shows a mother bear with her three young cubs standing together at the edge of a verdant forest. Johnson described the scene: "In the world of momma grizzlies, bringing three youngsters into their second summer is a real success story. Now mom must teach her rowdy yearling triplets how to find food, how to cross a river, and where to dig a den. Of course, there is still time for fun. The triplets favorite game was 'king of the hill' using mom as the mountain-a real hoot to watch!" The third work, "In Harm's Way", is dated circa 2002 and numbered 442/950. It shows a large grizzly bear running across a gravel stream bed. Johnson described the scene: "Under a beautiful blue sky on a sunny June day I set up my camera along the Mikmik Creek to photograph brown bears fishing for red salmon. Late June is also the mating season for grizzly bears and I watched as a male made his advances towards a female grizzly. Just as the bear couple were getting romantic, out of the brush on the opposite bank came an enormous male grizzly. I thought there might be a confrontation so I focused my 600mm lens on the 'new' bear. Sure enough, the instant he spied the mating couple he charged them in a frightening burst of speed and power letting out a deafening roar. The mating bears split apart instantly and the male took off running for his life with the enormous 'new' grizzly in hot-pursuit. This huge carnivore was the scariest yet most magnificent bear I have ever seen in over twenty years of photographing Alaskan grizzlies. And I bet in the end he got the female!" All pieces are signed, dated, and numbered in the lower left corner in gold leaf ink and printed on Fuji Crystal Archive Supergloss paper. A care guide and artist's biography are included on the reverse. Each one is shrink-wrapped on board, and the largest measures approximately 24.5" x 20.5".