Art in a changing world

Nína Sæmundsson (1892–1965) was the first Icelandic woman to work as a professional sculptor. She was born into the farming society of the 19th century, that offered few opportunities to women of working-class background when it came to creating their own destiny and letting their dreams come true. In spite of this, the beginnings of Sæmundsson's career had the flavor of a fairy tale. During the twenties of the twentieth century she lived in the western world's art capitals, Rome, Paris and New York. Her story is a story of great victories won, but at the same time a story of dramatic losses that influenced her life to a great extent. From the start, Sæmundsson was strong-willed, and had a burning passion for art, she developed her classical style that she remained faithful to long into her career, and in those works she combined the magnificent and the intimate. The upright human became one of her main themes, along with the busts that she specialized in.