Nína Tryggvadóttir

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Nína Tryggvadóttir (born March 13, 1913 in Seyðisfjörður ; † June 18, 1968 ) was a visual artist and poet from Iceland . She focused on abstract art and is best known for her design of the altarpiece in Skálholt Cathedral .

Family and education

Nína Tryggvadóttir was born on March 13, 1913 in Seyðisfjörður as the daughter of the housewife Gunndóra Benjamínsdóttir and the merchant and teacher Tryggvi Guðmundsson and was baptized with the name Jónina Tryggvadóttir. In 1920 the family moved to Reykjavík , where Nína attended primary school and later the Kvennaskóli Reykjavíkur school. Her neighbor was the well-known Icelandic impressionist Ásgrímur Jónsson and he presumably promoted her artistic interests. However, the modern arts were not very well recognized in Iceland at the time. It was not until 1919 that the Listvinafélagið association was founded, which subsequently organized exhibitions.

Nína's parents first urged her to become a cook. Their artistic inclinations were determined early on. It was not until 1933, at the age of 20, that she took her first painting courses in Reykjavík with the renowned artists Finnur Jónsson and Jóhann Briem . From 1935 to 1939 she continued her artistic studies in Copenhagen .

Further artistic development

Because of the outbreak of World War II, Nína came back to Iceland in 1939 after a short stopover. There she held her first solo exhibition in 1942 in the house of friends. She also painted several portraits of Steinn Steinarr , designed a book cover for him and illustrated his anti-war poem Tindátarnir , published in 1943 . From 1943 to 1946 she was able to study with the exiled German painter Hans Hofmann in New York with the help of a grant from the Icelandic state . During this time she exhibited in a gallery in New York and participated in a film produced by Columbia University .

In 1947 she took part in the exhibition Septembersýningin of young Icelandic artists in Reykjavík with some works , which at that time was considered to be downright revolutionary in Iceland because they were the first to show abstract art in Iceland . This was still very controversial there at the time. After that, her work included illustrating books. Another exhibition in a New York gallery followed in October 1948. In 1957 she had exhibitions in London and in the Parnass Gallery in Wuppertal . In 1963 Nína Tryggvadóttir held an exhibition in Reykjavík and was commissioned to design an altarpiece for the new church in Skálholt. Another large mosaic of her is in the Loftleiðir Hotel in Reykjavík, but it was made posthumously by her husband in 1968 based on her designs .

Marriage and political entanglements

In 1948 she married an exiled doctor from Germany named Alfred L. Copley, who was also an artist. After a trip to Iceland in connection with an inheritance, she fell into the clutches of McCarthy's communist hunters when she returned to the USA , was imprisoned and temporarily expelled from the country. In 1952 a daughter was born to the couple. Then they moved to Paris . In 1957 the family moved to London before returning to New York in 1959. Nína died on June 18, 1968.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Nína Tryggvadóttir. In: umm.is , accessed: August 14 of 2010.
  2. ^ Nína Tryggvadóttir. On: art.is , accessed: August 14, 2010.
Note: Icelanders are referred to by their first name or first and last name, but not just their surname. Further information can be found under Icelandic personal name .
personal data
SURNAME Nína Tryggvadóttir
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Jónina Tryggvadóttir
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Icelandic painter, sculptor, mosaic artist
DATE OF BIRTH March 13, 1913
PLACE OF BIRTH Seyðisfjörður
DATE OF DEATH June 18, 1968