Some are born into fame, some achieve fame, and some have fame thrust upon them. Artist Damon Johnson can lay claim to a combination of all three. The 28-year-old son of Richard Johnson, editor of the New York Post's notorious Page Six gossip column, grew up on the fringes of celebrity. Now he's starting to make some waves of his own as an artist in New York. Joined by socialite progeny Alexander Charriol and celeb portraitist Olan, who share his graphic pop-art style, Johnson takes part in an exhibit of work by Johnson & Co. that offers a "peep" into the whirring machinery of Manhattan's celebrity/culture industry. (From time to time, it blankets the city with the pungent odor of natural gas; do not be alarmed.) Socialite-turned-entrepreneur Tracy Stern hosts a preview dinner designed to showcase Stern's new line of high-end teas. Ceylon tea steak, anyone? The New York Peep Show runs Jan. 20-Feb. 17. Preview Dinner, Fri., Jan. 19, 6:30 p.m., $165 per person, R.S.V.P. required; Reception, Sat., Jan. 20., 6-9 p.m., free admission, both at Michael Murphy Gallery M, 2701 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa, 813-902-1414, michaelmurphygallery.com.
This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2007.