Johannes Mathias Sejersted Bødtker

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(29 May 1879 – 17 January 1963) was a Norwegian

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

er,

art collector A private collection is a privately owned collection of works (usually artworks) or valuable items. In a museum or art gallery context, the term signifies that a certain work is not owned by that institution, but is on loan from an individual ...

and patron of the arts.

Early and personal life

Bødtker was born in

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporation ...

, as a son of Major General Carl Fredrik Johannes Bødtker and Karen Agathe Falck. He was a brother of radio personality Carl Bødtker, and nephew of log driving manager Ragnvald Bødtker and County Governor Eivind Bødtker, and a second cousin once removed of theatre critic

Sigurd Bødtker Sigurd Bødtker (2 February 1866 – 6 March 1928) was a Norwegian theatre critic. Personal life He was born in Trondheim, Trondhjem as a son of physician Fredrik Waldemar Bødtker (1824-1901) and Sophie Jenssen (1830-1898). He was the brother of ...

and chemist Eyvind Bødtker. He married Louise Beer in 1914. She died in 1919, and in 1921 he married Ingeborg Beer, sister of his first wife. His wives were granddaughters of Anders Beer.

Career

Bødtker was manager for ''Norsk Investment'' from 1917 to 1923, and for ''Andresens Bank'' in 1919, and from 1920 for the combined ''Forretningsbanken''. He started his own banking company in 1923. Bødtker was board member of several companies, including ''Union Co.'' from 1934, and ''Forsikringsselskapet Fram'' from 1937. He was board member of ''Oslo Handelsstands Forening'' from 1921 to 1924, and Finland's

Honorary Consul A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

to Oslo from 1934 to 1958. He was a passionate art collector, and collected a number of paintings, by artists such as

Reidar Aulie Reidar Aulie (13 March 1904 – 23 November 1977) was a Norwegian artist. Biography Reidar Aulie was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), the son of Nils Baltazar Aulie (1867–1951) and Martha Valstad (1872–1966). He grew up in a middle-class home i ...

, J. C. Dahl, Kai Fjell,

Per Krohg Per Lasson Krohg (18 June 1889 – 3 March 1965) was a Norwegian artist. He is best known for the mural he created for the United Nations Security Council Chamber, located in the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Biography Per Krohg ...

and

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...

. Of his large collection of modern art, eight of the paintings were testamentary donated to the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

. He was a board member of the National Theatre for many years. Norway was invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany in 1940, and because the National Theatre board did not abide to the directions from the Nazi government, Bødtker, along with board members publisher

Harald Grieg Harald Grieg (3 August 1894 – 6 October 1972) was a Norwegian publisher. He was director of Gyldendal Norsk Forlag and for many years was a leading figure in the Norwegian book industry. Biography Grieg was born in Bergen, Norway. He was the ...

and professor of literature

Francis Bull Francis Bull (4 October 1887–4 July 1974) was a Norwegian literary historian, professor at the University of Oslo for more than thirty years, essayist and speaker, and magazine editor. Early and personal life Bull was born in Kristiania, so ...

, was arrested in 1941. He was held at

Grini concentration camp '', '' no, Grini fangeleir'', location=Bærum, Viken, Norway, location map=Viken#Norway, built by=Norway, original use=Constructed as a women's prison, operated by=Nazi Germany, notable inmates= List of Grini prisoners, liberated by=Harry Söderma ...

from August 1941 to July 1944.

Awards

Sejersted Bødtker was decorated as a Knight, First Class of the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

in 1912. He was appointed Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

, the Danish

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

, the Swedish

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of the ...

, and the Finnish

Order of the White Rose The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. T ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boedtker, Johannes Sejersted 1879 births 1963 deaths Norwegian bankers People from Kristiansand Collectors from Oslo Grini concentration camp survivors Honorary Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog Commanders of the Order of the Polar Star Businesspeople from Oslo