Atlantica - 01.07.2004, Page 86

The Reykjavík Art Museum at Kjarvalsstadir will be showcasing two prominent
international artists: painter Francesco Clemente and photographer Roni Horn. The
President’s wife Dorrit Moussaieff opened the exhibitions and invited the artists and
their guests to dine at the Presidential Residence at Bessastadir.
Francesco Clemente is one of the most celebrated artists of his generation. He
started his career in Italy as a conceptual artist and had his first one-man show in
Rome in 1971. At the end of the 1970s he began painting and quickly became recog-
nised internationally. This exhibition, entitled New Works, presents over sixty works
including paintings, pastels and watercolours, all of which have been made in the
last three years. This follows his major retrospective at the Guggenheim Museums
in New York and Bilbao (1999). Clemente was so enchanted with Iceland on his sou-
journ here that he prolonged his visit to be able to see more of the country.
Photographer Roni Horn has developed a special relationship with Iceland. She
maintains a studio and living space in Reykjavík, and the country has been featured
prominently in many of her exhibits. Horn likes to investigate the opposites in the
way we perceive things and plays with juxtaposing forms and movements, in every-
thing from common natural phenomena to human facial expressions. This exhibi-
tion, titled Her, Her, Her and Her, is made up of sixty-four one foot square black-and-
white photographs taken at Reykjavík’s indoor pool that are assembled, quilt-like,
into two units hung opposite one another.
From May 20 to August 22 at the Reykjavík Art Museum
– Kjarvalsstadir, Flókagata, 105 Reykjavík
84 A T L A N T I C A84 A T L A N T I C A ART
Stars of the Art Scene Visit Iceland
From the beginning of the twentieth century until the 1940’s,
Icelandic nature was the main subject of inspiration to
Icelandic artists. It became a symbol for everything that the
nation stood for. The structure, use of colour and inner artistic
expression were rooted in a romantic artistic movement of
Western Europe at the time. The National Gallery’s summer
exhibition focuses on this time period and connects past and
present by showcasing works from these defining times for
Icelandic art history, from works by pioneering artists such as
Ásgrímur Jónsson, Jón Stefánsson and Kjarval to modern
painters such as Svavar Gudnason, Nína Tryggvadóttir and
Kristján Davídsson, and finally contemporary artists including
Helgi Thorgils, Sigurdur Árni and Georg Gudni.
Environment and Nature in 20th century Icelandic art, until
August 28.
The National Gallery, Fríkirkjuvegur 7, 101 Reykjavík
Open Tuesday to Sunday 11-17
Painting Nature
❍i-site
Painting by Jón Stefánsson.
Oil on canvas
Francesco Clemente is one of the most celebrated artists of his generation.
P
H
O
TO

P
Á
LL
S
TE
FÁ
N
S
S
O
N
066 I-site ATL 404 22.6.2004 17:54 Page 84