Janssen

The Horst-Janssen-Museum in Oldenburg is a cultural highlight for anyone interested in the graphic arts and the complex life of one of Germany’s most celebrated artists. Opened in 2000, the museum is dedicated entirely to Horst Janssen, offering a comprehensive look at his artistic legacy across 1,000 square meters of exhibition space. Visitors encounter a diverse array of his works – drawings, etchings, wood engravings, lithographs, posters, and illustrations – arranged thematically to reflect the many facets of his creativity. The museum also features a reconstruction of Janssen’s studio, providing a vivid sense of his working environment and personal world.

Horst Janssen was born in Hamburg in 1929 but spent much of his childhood in Oldenburg, which he later considered his true home. His early years were marked by hardship: raised as an only child by his mother and grandparents, he lost his mother and grandfather during World War II and was subsequently taken in by his aunt in Hamburg. There, his artistic talent was nurtured at the Landeskunstschule under Alfred Mahlau, setting him on the path to a distinguished career.

Janssen’s oeuvre is remarkable for its technical brilliance and emotional intensity. He mastered a range of graphic techniques, from lithography and woodcuts to etching, but is perhaps best known for his intricate, psychologically charged drawings and self-portraits. His works often explore themes of landscape, eroticism, mortality, and identity, rendered with meticulous detail and a distinctive blend of surrealism and realism. Janssen’s commitment to figurative art set him apart from the prevailing trends of abstraction in his era, earning him international recognition, including the Grand Prize for Graphic Art at the Biennale di Venezia in 1968.

Beyond his art, Janssen was known for his eccentric, often turbulent personal life. He was outspoken, sometimes controversial, and lived with an intensity that mirrored the expressiveness of his art. His relationships, struggles with addiction, and unconventional lifestyle all contributed to the mythos surrounding his persona. Despite – or perhaps because of – these complexities, Janssen’s work continues to captivate audiences, and the museum in Oldenburg stands as a testament to his enduring influence on the world of drawing and printmaking.

Horst-Janssen-Museum
Oldenburg in Oldenburg
Germany