Johan Laurentz Jensen was a visual artist born in 1800 in the town of Gjentofte near Copenhagen. He began his education at the young age of 14 attending the Royal Danish Academy of Art where he won two silver medals, one in 1817 and another in 1818. He became a pupil of Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg and also of Cladius Detlev Fritzsch.

     Jensen was given a letter of recommendation by the Crown Prince Christian Frederick of Denmark to be presented to the Director of the porcelain manufactory at Sévres, where Jensen studied for several months. Specializing in flower painting, Jensen continued his education in Paris under the Flemish flower painting brothers, Gérard and Cornelis van Spaendonck, and in 1825 at the porcelain factory in Sèvres where he learned the art of miniature flower painting.

     From 1833−1835 Jensen lived in Rome and was tightly connected with the large Danish artist colony in that city, most importantly the celebrated sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, who would lend his antiquities collection to Jensen for his still-lives.

     Back in Denmark, Jensen became head artist at the Danish Porcelain Factory and a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. He had an extensive circle of customers and many students, especially women, including Louise of Hesse-Kassel who later married King Christian IX.

     Jensen's flowers were typically arranged as a bouquet standing in a vase, usually on a tray. A dark neutral background helped to emphasize the light colourful tones of the flowers. Roses were often the principal subject, sometimes set off with another flower such as a lilly or with several flowers of different varieties. Jensen mastered the art of reproducing nature. While he was one of several artists who painted exotic plants from Rosenborg, he also painted out in the country at Gentofte, sometimes painting wild flowers or exotic fruits. Since the 1980s, his works have gained wide international recognition.

     The artist is represented in these public institutions:

• The Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts collection

• AROS - Aarhus Art Museum

• Bornholm Art Museum

• Nivaagaards Malerisamling

• Statens Museum for Kunst (National Gallery of Denmark)

• Thorvaldsens Museum

• Øregaard Museum

• Schleswig-Holstein Museums in Germany

• Princeton University Art Museum