Lester Johnson was a pioneering American painter whose expressive, gestural figures helped define postwar figurative art. Emerging from the New York School alongside Abstract Expressionists, he infused the human form with raw movement and emotional intensity. His works are held in major institutions including MoMA, the Whitney Museum, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, solidifying his legacy as a vital bridge between abstraction and the human experience in 20th-century art.