Michael Johns
Upon the death of his father in 1975, Janssen left Belgium and moved to the United States. In Los Angeles, he met Michael Johns, who became Janssen’s life partner. Johns, a ceramic artist, infused Janssen’s knowledge with an American view and expanded his interests into new areas, including ceramics. The two assembled an outstanding ceramics collection, which was gifted to the ASU Art Museum in 2004, nearly doubling the Museum’s ceramic holdings in a single stroke. Johns and Janssen traveled extensively, selecting works they both responded to, the connivence of their interest in art reflecting the depth of their relationship.