Sunday January 5th at 2 p.m., there will be a guided tour of Hafnarborg’s exhibition on the works of Guðjón Samúelsson, State Architect 1920–1950, with Ágústa Kristófersdóttir, curator and Director of Hafnarborg, due to high attendance over the course of the exhibition. The exhibition opened on the centennial of Guðjón‘s graduation, with a degree in architecture, from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, in 1919 and his following appointment as State Architect in 1920. The exhibition focuses on Guðjón‘s works, his vision, stylistic progression and probable influences. Drawings, photographs and models of Guðjón‘s buildings will be exhibited, as well as proposals that were never realised.
Guðjón was a pioneer in many fields and played an important role in modernising Icelandic society. His works were controversial, in his time, and few artists have had to endure the level of criticism he faced. He was tasked with bestowing material form and artistic appearance upon the towns and buildings of the newly sovereign country. For a nation without any Gothic churches or classical palaces, Guðjón’s works hold particular significance.
The curators of the exhibition are Ágústa Kristófersdóttir and Pétur H. Ármannsson. The exhibition is a collaboration with the National Museum of Iceland and the National Archives of Iceland, both of which were very generous in granting access to their collections. The exhibition is produced with the support of the Museum Fund of Iceland.
Free entry and everyone is welcome.
