#225 • Johnny Johnson "In the Land of Giants", "Spirit of Denali" & "Romancing the Dawn" 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 7:14 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 44/950. 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, "Spirit of Denali", is dated circa 1985 and numbered 892/950. It shows a solitary caribou in silhouette on a low, dark ridge beneath Denali. Banks of cloud cross the steep snowy slopes, while the animal’s antlers rise above the foreground ridge. The third work, "Romancing the Dawn", is dated circa 2011 and numbered 54/950. It shows a large bull moose with massive antlers interacting with a cow moose during the autumn rut. Johnson described the scene: “As I pulled up to Denali National Park Headquarters in the pre-dawn chill of mid-September, I saw my friend Gary eagerly awaiting me. "it's a perfect morning," he exclaimed excitedly. Gary was Denali Park's Chief Ranger and an avid amateur photographer. The mating season for moose had just started and the associated interaction often provided excellent opportunities to photograph moose behavior. It wasn't long before we spotted a large bull moose defending a harem of more than a dozen females. Wasting no time, we grabbed our cameras and bushwhacked thru the brush three-quarters of a mile. We set up our tripods just as the morning light turned the bull's enormous antlers into beacons of gold. To our delight, a young female approached the bull and they began to nuzzle. Minutes later, it was over and they were gone. "Did you get that?" Gary asked in a whisper. "Absolutely" I said, "it just doesn't get any better than that!"” All pieces are signed, dated, and numbered in the lower left or right 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 "In The Land Of Giants" measures approximately 24.5" x 20.5".