Johannes Mathias Sejersted Bødtker

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

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

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, 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 m ...

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 city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following th ...

, as a son of Major General

Carl Fredrik Johannes Bødtker Carl Fredrik Johannes Bødtker (20 June 1851 – 22 January 1928) was a Norwegian military officer, teacher and writer. Personal life Bødtker was born in Oslo, Christiania, the son of district stipendiary magistrate Job Dischington Bødtker and ...

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 Eivind is a Norwegian masculine given name of Norse origin, ''Auja-winduR''. It is made up of two parts: ''Auja'' meaning "lucky/gift", and ''winduR'' meaning "winner and/or warrior". The name ''Eivind'' is also used in Denmark and Sweden, and ...

, and a second cousin once removed of theatre critic Sigurd Bødtker and chemist Eyvind Bødtker. He married Louise Beer in 1914. She died in 1919, and in 1921, Bødtker married Ingeborg Beer, Louise's sister. 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 a board member of several companies, including ''Union Co.'' from 1934, and ''Forsikringsselskapet Fram'' from 1937. He was a board member of ''Oslo Handelsstands Forening'' from 1921 to 1924, and Finland's

Honorary Consul A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

to Oslo from 1934 to 1958. He was a passionate art collector, and collected a number of paintings, by artists such as Reidar Aulie, J. C. Dahl, Kai Fjell, Per Krohg and

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

. 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 more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

. 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's board did not abide to the directions from the Nazi government, Bødtker, along with board members

Harald Grieg Harald Grieg (3 August 1894 – 6 October 1972) was a Norwegian publishing, 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 on 3 August 1894, i ...

, a publisher, and Francis Bull, a professor of literature were arrested in 1941. He was held at

Grini concentration camp Grini prison camp (, ) was a Nazi concentration camp in Bærum, Norway, which operated between 1941 and May 1945. Ila Detention and Security Prison is now located here. History Grini was originally built as a women's prison, near an old croft ...

from August 1941 to July 1944.

Awards

Sejersted Bødtker was decorated as a Knight, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav 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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, the Danish

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

, the Swedish

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

, and the Finnish

Order of the White Rose The Order of the White Rose of Finland (; ) is one of three official Order (decoration), orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all ...

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