#272 • Johnny Johnson "Breach of Worlds", "Romancing the Dawn" & "Spirit of Denali" 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 7:30 PM AKST

Category: Art

Three signed and numbered photographs by Alaska wildlife photographer Johnny Johnson (1947-2025). The first work, "Breach of Worlds", is dated circa 1994 and numbered 135/950. The accompanying description reads: "A humpback whale performs a full body breach near Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska. When 40 tons of whale bursts from the water your heart stops and for a few quick seconds this behemoth of the deep appears. Then in a great crash of water it is gone." The second work, "Romancing the Dawn", is dated circa 2011 and numbered 19/950. The accompanying description reads: “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!"” The third work, "Spirit of Denali", is dated circa 1985 and numbered 914/950. Johnson described the scene: "After being out of print for over a decade, I have decided to release the remaining two hundred numbers of "Spirit of Denali". Taken with my 300mm lens near Thorofare Pass, I have always loved the power, color and sheer scale of this once-in-a-lifetime shot. The bull caribou is at about 4,000 feet in elevation approximately twenty miles from Mt. McKinley and almost 16,000 feet lower than the north peak (19,470). The south peak (true summit 20,320') is obscured by storm clouds. Climbers follow the Muldrow glacier (lower right) up Karstens Ridge (left of Great Harper glacier & icefall) to the summit. The temperature difference between the mountain's peak and this caribou could top 100 Fahrenheit." All three are signed, dated, and numbered in gold leaf ink; "Romancing the Dawn" and "Spirit of Denali" are on Fuji Crystal Archive Supergloss, while "Breach of Worlds" is on Cibachrome/Ilfochrome. The photographs are shrink-wrapped on board; the larger measures approximately 18.5" x 24.5".