Ray Johnson's Moticos and Mail Art at Musée Denys-Puech

The exhibition at Musée Denys-Puech in Rodez (June 21 – October 28, 2012) showcases Ray Johnson's Moticos—miniature works on thin cardboard from dry cleaners that blend drawing, painting, collage, and relief. Johnson (1927–1995) studied at Black Mountain College (1945–1958) under Josef Albers, alongside Robert Rauschenberg, and with visiting faculty Willem de Kooning, John Cage, and Merce Cunningham. In 1948, he worked as a commercial illustrator in New York alongside Andy Warhol. Johnson is credited as a pioneer of mail art, sending works with instructions to "add to & return." He participated in performances with Cage and Allan Kaprow, and in 1961 created his first "Nothings." Donna de Salvo of the Whitney Museum called him "master of portable collages." The article draws parallels to Erik Satie's illuminated letters and notes that Peter Blake, a kindred spirit, designed the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's album cover. Johnson died by suicide on January 13, 1995, jumping from the North Haven Bridge into Sag Harbor.