Ottar Helge Johannessen
Ottar Helge Johannessen (1929 to 2010) was a Norwegian printmaker from Mandal. He worked with woodcuts, etchings, lithographs and ink washes, as well as mosaics.
Education and visual language
He studied at Statens Kunstakademi from 1955 to 1958. Teaching lettering and printmaking at Statens håndverks- og kunstindustriskole became another important part of his practice.
Johannessen retained a figurative, Expressionist language. Norsk kunstnerleksikon highlights loneliness, anxiety and powerlessness, strong contrasts between light and dark tones, and differences in figure size. Biblical scenes, masks and clowns recur. Foreground figures may stand against deep or undefined background space.
Documented print publications
Publisher Norsk Forening for Grafisk Kunst lists Messias in its 1959 portfolio: lithograph, 318 × 218 mm. Its 1977 portfolio lists Masken bæres frem: lithograph in two colours, 266 × 373 mm. These publisher records do not establish a general edition size for his prints.
The publisher lists I skyggen av et fjell in 1991: woodcut, 236 × 334 mm. The entries demonstrate different techniques across several decades. The catalogue's dimensions apply to the listed prints; they should not automatically be treated as sheet or framed dimensions for an example under examination.
Printing matrices and museum documentation
Vest-Agder-museet's 2014 annual report states that Mandal Museum received over 300 of Johannessen's printing matrices. A matrix is the tool an image is printed from, rather than the finished paper print. The number of surviving matrices cannot be used to calculate how many impressions were made.
The 2025 museum report Fram i lyset! records woodcut blocks for Knust brille, dated 1982, and Krøplingen, dated 1964, at Mandal Museum. These records concern the registered blocks. They do not document a particular edition size, printing date or condition for a paper impression of the same subject.
Original prints, signatures and identification
An original print is not the same as a reproduction of a painting or of an already printed image. Examine the print surface, paper, dimensions, signature and any numbering. Information about proofs, publishers and different states must be linked to documentation for the particular subject. A handwritten number does not alone confirm the edition size.
Use the artist's full name when cataloguing. The surname Johannessen alone is insufficient to attribute a work to this artist. Assess the signature alongside technique, ownership history, old labels and receipts. This overview authenticates no particular object and provides no definitive model for the signature's appearance.
Condition of paper
Look for discolouration, damp marks, tears, creases, fading and evidence of mounting or adhesive. Distinguish image, sheet and framed dimensions, and note whether the entire sheet has been examined. A familiar subject or similar frame does not establish the paper's condition. Describe observations and documentation before drawing conclusions about the example.
Read more about woodcuts, lithography, artist signatures, provenance and ownership history.
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