1929-1995 Hardly any other artist of the 20th century gave himself so often depicted in the portrait as Horst Janssen. The reasons for the success of his self-declared Janssen as follows: "... because a comedic disposition puts me in a position where my quite face as needed convincing even cheerful-young, sometimes melancholic, sometimes wild and other times wild-devastated to make it appear bloated and downright exciting portrait to my drawing skill, the respective mirror very closely, however with so extraordinarily important understatement, then delivers the impression of so coveted by the public honesty.”In addition to the self-portraits are the portraits of women of great importance for Janssens work.

Horst Janssen studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Hamburg. An exhibition of his works in Hannover in 1965 marked his artistic breakthrough and wandered through all major German cities; numerous exhibitions abroad followed. Soon the native of Oldenburg was in knowledgeable circles decided under Genie suspect was in any case as a gifted draftsman, printmaker and lithographer.

Janssen was artist through and through. Always he led sketch pad and pen with it, ceaselessly, he commented on his environment: friends (last but not least: girlfriends), nature, his comprehensive reading - and profound variation again himself. By its own line, which he executed with hard effect, a brilliant expression succeeded, regardless, whether it went to him typical sarcastic comments to the present or to a love letter to the great model.

In 1993, two years before his death, the "epoch-making exception" (Wolfgang Hildesheimer) was appointed an honorary citizen of the city of Oldenburg. It says here the Horst Janssen Museum, which is dedicated to his very extensive work (the catalogue present so far in seven volumes just ranges 1980) since 2000.