BILLEDKUNSTNER PREBEN JOHANSEN

Preben Johansen er billedkunstner, der siden 1982 har arbejdet professionelt med billedkunst og grafisk design. Født 1953 i Brønderslev, Nordjylland.

 

​" I arbejdet med mine billeder, ønsker jeg at indfange enkelheden - det der rører mig. Skære alt det overflødige væk. Naturen inspirerer mig - ikke som et øjebliksbillede, men mere de sanselige indtryk. Indtryk som kunne være farve eller form. Det kan komme til udtryk på lærredet som penselstrøg eller farve og form, - noget som rører mig. Det er her de mange timer og dage sætter sig i krop og sind. Jeg sidder ofte i adskillige timer og nogle gange dage og kigger ind i billedet for at indfange det rette udtryk af de mange drømmebilleder jeg har inde i hovedet.

En dag er det ønskede udtryk der - måske ikke lige den dag jeg satte et penselstrøg, men oftere en af de dage, hvor jeg har siddet og kigget på det time efter time...........

NU er det der - penselstrøget, farven, formen, enkelheden - billedet der rører mig".

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Artist Biography

 

Born in Denmark in 1953, Preben Johansen has devoted more than four decades to the pursuit of visual expression. Beginning his professional career as a graphic designer in 1982, he established a reputation for refined visual communication, corporate identity and editorial design before turning his focus increasingly towards contemporary painting.

 

Johansen’s artistic language is rooted in Scandinavian minimalism, where silence, atmosphere and light become essential elements of the composition. Rather than depicting the landscape, his paintings distil its emotional resonance—transforming memories of coastlines, changing skies and Nordic light into abstract visual experiences.

 

Working primarily in acrylic on canvas, he builds each composition through subtle layers of colour and texture. His restrained palette, balanced structures and tactile surfaces invite contemplation, allowing the viewer to complete the narrative through personal interpretation. The result is a body of work characterised by quiet intensity, timeless elegance and emotional depth.

 

His transition from internationally recognised graphic designer to full-time visual artist has given his paintings a distinctive sense of compositional precision while preserving an intuitive and expressive painterly approach. The dialogue between design discipline and artistic freedom has become a defining characteristic of his practice.

 

Johansen’s work has been exhibited throughout Denmark and internationally, including exhibitions in Italy and at Galleri Juul in Skagen. His paintings are held in private collections and have received international recognition, including the Award of Excellence presented by Galleria De Marchi in Bologna. (SkagensAvis⁠)

 

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Professional Resume

 

Born

 

1953, Denmark

 

Lives and Works

 

Hune, North Denmark

 

Practice

 

Contemporary Abstract Painting

 

Previous Profession

 

Graphic Designer & Creative Director

Professional practice since 1982

 

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Artistic Focus

 

• Contemporary Abstract Painting

• Colour Field & Atmospheric Abstraction

• Minimalism

• Nordic Landscape Interpretation

• Mixed Texture Techniques

• Large-Scale Contemporary Works

 

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Selected Exhibitions

 

2026

Galleri Juul, Skagen, Denmark 

Galleria360, Firenze, Italia

Galleria De Marchi, Bologna, Italy

 

2025

Award Exhibition — Galleria De Marchi, Bologna, Italy

 

2023

Award Exhibition — Galleria De Marchi, Bologna, Italy

 

Selected exhibitions at:

 

• Galleri Juul, Skagen

• Galleri Grenen, Skagen

• Dronninglund Kunstcenter

• Palæfløjen

• Lighthouse, Aarhus Ø

 

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Awards

 

2025 — Award of Excellence, Galleria De Marchi, Bologna

 

2023 — Award of Excellence, Galleria De Marchi, Bologna

 

2008 — First Prize, Aarhus Municipality, Public Signage Design

 

2004 — Papyrus Award Nominee

 

1997 — Creative Circle Denmark, Gold Medal, Corporate Identity

 

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Selected Publications

 

• Hans J. Wegner — furniture by Carl Hansen & Søn

• Dragon Anniversary Publication

• Book Design for Mortens Kro

• SE – A Tribute to the Nature of Northern Denmark

 

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Artist Statement

 

“My paintings are not descriptions of places but reflections of experiences.

 

I seek to reduce visual noise until only atmosphere remains—light, colour, rhythm and silence.

 

Nature is my point of departure, but never my destination. The landscape dissolves into memory, and memory becomes abstraction.

 

Each painting is an invitation to pause, to reflect and to discover a personal narrative beyond the visible.”

 

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Representation

 

Available through selected galleries and exhibitions in Denmark and internationally