Nils Ohlsen

Nils Ohlsen was born in Oldenburg, Germany, in 1967. He is living in Oslo and Lillehammer, Norway, since 2010.

Ohlsen has been deeply involved with watercolor painting since 2003. His first solo exhibition was held in 2022 at the Stiftung Reinbeckhallen – Collection of Contemporary Art in Berlin. 2024 his solo exhibition ‘Breathing Spaces’ was shown at Galleri Hörnan in Falun. In the summer of 2025, he takes part in the international group exhibition VIS a VIS at Artforum MEMU art-center in Essing, Germany, with 35 new works. Ohlsen is a member of the Norwegian Tegnerforbundet (The Norwegian Artists' Association). His works are represented in numerous private collections in Germany and Norway.

Ohlsen studied art history, classical archaeology, prehistory, and communication design in Berlin. He graduated with a master’s degree in 1993 and earned his PhD in art history from the Freie Universität Berlin.

He is currently working as senior curator and researcher at the Lillehammer Kunstmuseum, where he was director from 2018 to 2025. From 2010 to 2018, he served as the director of the Department of Old Masters and Modern Art at the National Museum in Oslo. Prior to this, he was a curator at the Kunsthalle Emden, where he also held the position of scientific director from 2006 to 2010. From 1997 to 1998, he worked as an independent archaeologist. Ohlsen has curated numerous highly successful exhibitions in Germany and Norway and has authored an extensive series of books and articles on art, spanning from the Romantic era to contemporary works. His most recent publication is Pierre Bonnard and Norway (Stockholm 2025).