Kristján H. Magnússon – Revisited

 Kristján Helgi Magnússon’s paintings made a great impression when he made his entrance onto the art scene nearly 100 years ago. His reputation was not confined to Iceland, as he also held exhbitions of his art in cities on both sides of the Atlantic, where critics praised his landscapes, portraits and still lifes. In Iceland, on the other hand, the response to his art was mixed, and today few people are familiar with his work; his name is rarely mentioned in discourse on Icelandic art. Nonetheless his contribution to art is extensive, and interesting in many ways. In a forthcoming retrospective, the National Gallery of Iceland will showcase the works of this short-lived artist, who died in 1938 aged only 34, after a brief but interesting career.

The exhibition is accompanied by the publication of an extensive book on the life and work of Kristján H. Magnússon, edited by Einar Falur Ingólfsson; essays in the book are written by Guðmundur Oddur Magnússon and Dagný Heiðdal , as well as Einar Falur himself. The book is published by the National Gallery in collaboration with relatives of Kristján’s wife Klara Helgadóttir, and descendants of the couple.