A native of Copenhagen, Denmark, Johann Berthelsen immigrated to the United States with his family in 1890. He began his career as a musician and toured as a lead baritone with the Standard Opera Company. He gave voice lessons in his private studio and was head of the Voice Department at the Indianapolis Conservatory.
Berthelsen painted from childhood onwards as a hobby. The Norwegian painter Svend Svenson in Chicago and Indiana artist Wayman Adams were significant influences in encouraging Berthelsen to concentrate on painting more extensively. Berthelsen moved to New York City in 1920, as did Adams, and by 1932 he was painting on a full-time basis, first in pastels and later in oils. He is best known for his Impressionistic views of New York City in the snow and exhibited widely, including at the Art Institute and Hoosier Salon in Chicago; and at the Salmagundi Club and American Watercolor Society in New York.
Museum Collections
Hickory Museum, Hickory, NC
Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis, IN
Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
Sembrich Museum, Lake George, NY
Sheldon Swope Art Museum, Terre Haute, IN
Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC