Johannes "Johs" Rian (17 May 1891 – 10 December 1981) was a Norwegian painter.
Johs Rian was born in Overhalla Municipality in Nordre Trondheim, Norway. He was a son of farmers Peter Rian (1856–1934) and Elen Blengslien (1864–1952). He also worked at the family farm, but left this career in 1927 to pursue painting.[1] He studied at the Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts from 1928 to 1930 under Axel Revold. He was also inspired by Henrik Sørensen,[2] and Revold's teacher Henri Matisse. In 1936 he married his secretary Ellen Gjønnæs (1903–1961).[1] In 1950, Rian was provided with a Thomas Fearnley Memorial Scholarship and traveled to the south of France.[3]
Rian exhibited at the contemporary art gallery Kunstnerforbundet in Oslo several times between 1930 and 1957, and also at the São Paulo Biennal in 1967/68. From 1960 he mainly exhibited at Galleri Haaken in Oslo. He also started painting nonfigurative art.[1] The Norwegian Museum of Contemporary Art owns eight of his paintings.[2] He was decorated with the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1978 and died in 1981 at Oslo.[1] [4] [5]