#300 • Johnny Johnson "Breach of Worlds", "Spirit of Denali" & "River Dance" 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 7:39 PM AKST

Category: Art

Three signed photographs by Alaska wildlife photographer Johnny Johnson (1947–2025). The first work is entitled "Breach of Worlds," c.1994, numbered 99/950. Johnson describes the scene: “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 photograph is entitled "Spirit of Denali," c.1985, numbered 902/950. Johnson describes 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.” The third photograph is "River Dance," c.2015, numbered 32/950. Johnson describes the scene: “As the sun set, I knew it was time to get off the river, but it was just too beautiful—too exciting.  I decided to stay a little longer and was rewarded when an adult grizzly emerged from the crimson current with his prize— a large sockeye (red) salmon.  It seems the gulls are always present hoping for scraps. During the three months I spent documenting life on a salmon stream for the National  Geographic, I learned a great deal about the importance of salmon to a healthy watershed.  Each day was an adventure, a new chapter in my understanding of our vanishing wild world.” All are signed, dated, and numbered in gold leaf ink and printed on Fuji Crystal Archive Supergloss paper. The photographs are shrink-wrapped on board; the largest measures approximately 18.5" x 24.5".