Ásmundur Sveinsson

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This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Ásmundur.

Ásmundur Sveinsson
Born
Ásmundur Sveinsson

(1893-05-20)20 May 1893
Kolsstadir, Iceland
Died9 December 1982(1982-12-09) (aged 89)
Reykjavík
NationalityIcelandic
Known forSculpting
SpouseGunnfríður Jónsdóttir

Ásmundur Sveinsson (20 May 1893 – 9 December 1982) was an Icelandic sculptor, whose works include “Thor's gavel”, the ornate gavel used by the President of United Nations General Assembly.[1]

Early years

Ásmundur Sveinsson was born in Kolsstadir in West Iceland on 20 May 1893. In 1915 he moved to

Stockholm, Sweden, where he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts where he remained for six years, much of it spent studying with sculptor Carl Milles.[2]
In 1924 he married sculptor
Paris, France where he continued his study, here under the sculptor Charles Despiau.[3]

Work

Ásmundur returned to Iceland in 1929 and began producing a series of abstracted figurative works. His themes were often men and women at work and included such pieces as, The Blacksmith,[4] The Washer Women,[5] and The Water Carrier.[6] During the 1940s Ásmundur's work moved even farther away from the human and animal form that had been his mainstay until then and by the 1950s he was producing work that was almost entirely abstract.[7]

Like many Icelandic artists, he drew upon the traditions of his native country when seeking subjects to inspire him. In 1939, for example, Ásmundur's sculpture of

Snorri Sturlusson. His Sæmundur and the Seal,[13] also in this vein, is situated in front of the main building of the University of Iceland
in Reykjavík.

Generally, the artist believed in placing works of art not only in the hands of a small elite, but also in making them accessible to the public. Other works of Ásmundur Sveinsson are to be found on the hill Öskjuhlíð near Perlan in Reykjavík or at the farm of Borg á Mýrum near Borgarnes. The abstract sculpture here represents the saga hero Egill having his dead son in his arms.[14] The title Sonartorrek is referring to a poem which Egill Skallagrimsson wrote about this scene. Ásmundur died in Reykjavík on 9 December 1982. In 2015, his statue of poet Einar Benediktsson was moved to a spot near Höfði house in Reykjavik, where the poet had lived.

Ásmundarsafn

Ásmundarsafn

The former house of the artist in Laugardalur, Reykjavík, has been installed as a museum, called Ásmundarsafn. The house was constructed from 1942 until ca. 1958 in three parts, based on designs drawn by the artist who was a fan of the Bauhaus style. The house is slightly reminiscent of Le Corbusier and his chapel of Ronchamp. The sculpture garden nearby is open to public.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Gavels". United Nations Gifts. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  2. OCLC 2347783
    .
  3. ^ Jonas (7 January 2019). "Asmundur Sveinsson Museum". NAT. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Járnsmiðurinn | Listasafn Reykjavíkur – Safneign". safneign.listasafnreykjavikur.is. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Þvottakona | Listasafn Reykjavíkur – Safneign". safneign.listasafnreykjavikur.is. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Vatnsberinn | Listasafn Reykjavíkur – Safneign". safneign.listasafnreykjavikur.is. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  7. OCLC 41605591
    .
  8. ^ Háskólabókasafn, Landsbókasafn Íslands-. "Tímarit.is". timarit.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  9. ISSN 2816-5187
    .
  10. ^ "Tröllkonan (stækkun) | Listasafn Reykjavíkur – Safneign". safneign.listasafnreykjavikur.is. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Höfuðlausn | Listasafn Reykjavíkur – Safneign". safneign.listasafnreykjavikur.is. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  12. ^ "Helreiðin (stækkun) | Listasafn Reykjavíkur – Safneign". safneign.listasafnreykjavikur.is. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  13. ^ "Sæmundur á selnum | Listasafn Reykjavíkur – Safneign". safneign.listasafnreykjavikur.is. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Sonatorrek (stækkun) | Listasafn Reykjavíkur – Safneign". safneign.listasafnreykjavikur.is. Retrieved 23 December 2023.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ásmundur_Sveinsson&oldid=1201078780"