“Crossing Paths” crossed state lines for the first time to be a part of Dallas Blooms 2025 at the Dallas Arboretum.
Among the beauty of Texas spring blooms at the Dallas Arboretum is the glory of the simplest moments of everyday life. A series of Seward Johnson’s sculptures complement the 40th annual Dallas Blooms 2025: Outside the Ordinary and will remain on view through Sept. 1.
Every spring, North Texans go to the Dallas Arboretum for the blooming of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and cherry blossoms and this year, they will stay for Johnson’s hyper-realistic works.
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“We put art in gardens because it is as old as time. Art and gardens have gone together forever. Horticulture is an art in itself, and they just play off each other so beautifully,” said Sabina Carr, Dallas Arboretum’s President and CEO.
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SIGN UP Johnson, who died in 2020, was the grandson of the Johnson & Johnson co-founder. After his uncle fired him from the family business at age 38, Johnson forged his own career as an artist. He created life-size bronze sculptures depicting ordinary people doing ordinary things.
“It’s all about the small slices of life,” said Dustin Miller, Dallas Arboretum’s Vice President of Programs and Learning.
Johnson also established Grounds For Sculpture, a botanical and sculpture garden outside of Treton, New Jersey. Johnson’s monumental work, Crossing Paths, features two women sitting on a bench, chatting. The sculpture’s home is Grounds For Sculpture, and this is the first time the work has traveled outside of New Jersey.
The Dallas Arboretum displayed Johnson’s sculptures in the summer of 2020 and this monumental version of Crossing Paths sits in the same spot as the life-size version was five years ago. It is so large that it can be seen from Garland Road. But what does it mean?
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“It is up to you what it means. It is a capture of just a moment in time, of something ordinary in time. Seward believed the small things in life are the more important things in life, “ Carr said.
The life-size sculptures dotted throughout the garden highlight Johnson’s skill and development of his technique over time. Tending the Garden is a rare commission.
“Seward Johnson had a woman approach him and ask him to create her likeness as a sculpture,” Miller said. “Interestingly and sadly, she passed away before it was finished.”
The sculpture depicts a woman gardening with her dog jumping up for her attention.
“It’s a great example of his late works. You can really see the fine detail, especially with the veins on her hands. This is the fully painted patina. This is all with automobile paint. They actually create this, and they layer it up so the first layer could be green and blue paint and then they work their way up to this realistic life-like look,” Miller said.
Johnson used the client’s dog for a model and his attention to detail can be seen in the woman’s clothing. Johnson would request clothing from a client, thrift appropriate clothing or buy new clothing from Bergdorf Goodman and replicate the texture precisely.
“All of this fabric is actually either stainless steel or blended metal, depending on what sculpture you’re looking at, but the texture is from an authentic piece of fabric to make it look so realistic,” Miller said.
Overlooking the garden’s concert hill is When Then Becomes Now. A woman is sketching a familiar vista.
“Everywhere this goes, they customize the artwork, so she is actually drawing the concert hill here,” Miller said.
This sculpture is not fully painted, further highlighting Johnson’s precise details.
“For me , this is one of the ones that most realistically shows clothes, especially that tank she’s got under the sweater,” Miller said.
Hot Weather depicts a man licking an ice cream cone. This summer, the flower bed surrounding the sculpture will features plants and flowers with names inspired by ice cream and sundaes. The sculpture includes a prominent watch, a favorite element for Johnson to create, and a bandage.
“He does little nods to the family business,” Miller said.
The style of the man’s blue jeans provide a hint about the sculpture.
“You can also start to approximate the age of the sculpture based on the style of the Levis,” Miller said.
Johnson’s sculptures show cherishing life’s simple moments never goes out of style.
Learn more: Dallas Arboretum
