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THE EINAR

JÓNSSON MUSEUM

The museum In 1909, Einar Jónsson offered all of his works as a gift to the Icelandic people on the condition that a museum be built for them. This gift was accepted by the Icelandic Parliament 1914.

Jónsson chose to locate the museum on the top of Skolavorduhaed. The museum was the first building to be constructed on the top of the hill and Jónsson realized what possibilities this location, the highest in town, offered. Like some of his contemporarie, he dreamt of Skolavorduhaed becoming the political and cultural Acropolis of an independent Iceland. The museum was built according to a plan by the artist and it may thus be said that the museum building constitutes his biggest sculpture. The building served as his studio, as a gallery for his works and even as his home. The museum building is a work by the artist in a collaboration with the architect Einar Erlendsson. The cornerstone of the building was laid in June 1916.

The Einar Jónsson Museum was officially opened on Midsummer´s Day in 1923. This was a watershed event for Icelandic art, as the building was the country´s first art museum. The museum´s penthouse apartment, probably the first in Iceland, is unique, and the view from the apartment one of the most beautiful in Reykjavik.

Jónsson and his Danish-born wife, Anna Jörgensen, established a modest yet cosmopolitan artist´s home there, furnishing it with uncommon furniture and art. The Jónsson home is part of the museum and is preserved in its original condition.

The museum contains close to 300 art works spanning a 60 year career: carvings from the artist´s youth, sculpture, paintings and drawings. A beautiful tree-clad garden adorned with 26 bronze casts of the artist´s works is located behind the museum. The task of the museum is to collect, preserve and display the work of Einar Jónsson and conduct research on his life and art.

Einar Jónsson 1874-1954 Einar Jónsson was Iceland´s first sculptor. He attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen from 1896 to 1899. Jónsson laid the foundation for Icelandic sculpture with his first publicly exhibited work, “Outlaws”, which was shown at the Spring Salon at Charlottenborg in Copenhagen in 1901.

Jónsson drew inspiration from the Icelandic folklore heritage for “Outlaws” and other works from the first decade of the century, but also used mythological and religious motifs. After residing in Rome from 1902 to 1903, Jónsson completely rejected naturalistic depiction and publicly criticized the classical art tradition, which he felt had weighed artists down. He emphasized the need for artists to forge their own path and cultivate their originality and imagination instead of following in the footsteps of others. His ideas were related to German

Einar Jónsson was a groundbreaking figure in Icelandic sculpture and his influence on the visual arts in Iceland has been considerable, though indirect. He moved permanently back to Iceland in 1920 at the age of 46 and resided there until his death in 1954.

Design: Björg Vilhjálmsdóttir - Illustration: Halldór Baldursson - Print: Guðjón Ó

symbolism, and he developed a figurative language composed of interpretable symbols, personification and allegory. From 1910 onwards, with Jónsson´s acquaintance with theosophy and the ideas of the 18th century Swedish scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg, his means of expressions were primarily conditioned by allegorical structures. His allegorical conceptions were supported by the emphasis placed by these doctrines and ideas upon concealed, deeper meanings of objects and events.

THE EINAR JÓNSSON MUSEUM Visiting address: Eiriksgata and Freyjugata Mailing address: Eiriksgata 3, 101 Reykajvik, Iceland Phone: +354 551 3797 E-mail: lej@lej.is / Web site: www.lej.is

OPEN:

Tuesday-Sunday 10:00 - 17:00 – Closed on Mondays Contact the office for group visits