In collaboration with the Spartanburg Philharmonic, The Johnson Collection presents six iconic paintings shown in symphony with La Mer, a significant compositional feat in three movements by Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918) and the centerpiece of the Philharmonic’s 2025-26 season premiere.
Debussy composed La Mer primarily relying on memory and visual art for inspiration, "preferring the seascapes available in painting and literature" to the physical sea. Often referred to as an Impressionist—a term he loathed despite being an admirer of the movement—Debussy employed non-traditional harmonies and dreamy atmospheres in his works, much like the French Impressionist painters used broken brushwork to conjure shifting light effects and to portray moments in time. The artworks on display have been selected by John Young Shik Concklin, the Philharmonic’s Music Director, to surround a viewer in the sights and sounds of the ever-shifting beauty of the sea. This exhibition invites you to engage your senses—both visually and musically—viewing paintings that capture La Mer’s marine inspiration and the evocative moods and movements of the ocean.
Curated by: John Young Shik Concklin, Music Director of the Spartanburg Philharmonic
Featured Artists: Malvin Gray Johnson, Lee Hall, James Herring, Elliott Daingerfield, Theodoros Stamos, Edith London
