Benjamin Olsen

Christian Benjamin Olsen was a painter. He was born 03.05.1873 in Odense and died 11.02.1935 in Fredriksberg. His parents were grocery Anthon Olsen and Marie Sophie Margrethe Rasmussen. Olsen was married 20.10.1897 with Hedevig Margrethe Hastrup, she was born 05.27.1871 in Odense and died 11.03.1958 in Fredericia. She was the daughter of Assistant Professor Frederik Julius Hastrup. and Augusta Jørgine Johansen.

Benjamin Olsen was marine painter and concentrated on depicting ships, sea and sky as accurately and dispassionately as possible. It is not a romanticized painting, but the naturalistic ship portrait that is essential. Herein he follows the tradition of Vilhelm Arnesen and Christian Blache. In smaller works, he has concentrated on varied and penetrating studies of air and sea. As a porcelain painter Olsen decorated lots of vases and made numerous paintings of ships and crew in underglaze painting, a technique he mastered with great superiority.

Olsen leared painting at Svendborg at the Technical School. In 1893, when he was trained as a marine painter he was supported and guided by Christian Blache. Olsen did intensive travelling for his time for example to North Africa in 1905; Finland in 1909; Germany, Italy, 1933. Marine expeditions: the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland in 1921 (King and Queen travel); Scotland, Spain, Tenerife in 1923; Finland in 1925; Faroe Islands, Iceland in 1926 (King and Queen travel); Finland in 1928; Spain, Portugal, Italy, North Africa in 1929; Faroe Islands, Iceland 1930th.

Olsen was painter in Kolding during a short period before 1893; he was employed by Bing & Grondahl 1906-13; at the Royal Copenhagen factory from 1913 until 1935.

There have been many exhibitions with the works of Benjamin Olsen, the last ones for example 1995 and 2013 at the former Middelfarth Museum - now the CLAY Museum.

Main information source: Kunstindex Danmark & Weilbachs Kunstnerleksikon