SOLILOQUY

The National Gallery of Iceland holds a retrospective of the work of Jóhanna Kristín Yngvadóttir (1953−1991), who made a memorable entrance onto the Icelandic art scene in the early 1980s. Jóhanna Kristín‘s expressionistic works were received with enthusiasm, and critics were united in their praise of the young artist, whose work was considered mature and refined.

In her art, she expressed her internal and external emotional world with sincerity, with dynamic brushstrokes and colour planes; she made unsparing use of dark tones and brought out diverse symbolism, creating powerful works. The artist said of her work: “I deal with my interaction with people. People have the greatest effect, they cause joy and sadness.”

Jóhanna Kristín graduated from the Icelandic School of Arts and Crafts (precursor of the Iceland University of the Arts) in 1976, then pursued postgraduate study in the Netherlands at De Vrije Academie in the Hague and Rijksakademie Van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam, graduating in 1980.

Jóhanna Kristín Yngvadóttir's career has few parallels in modern Icelandic art history. It lasted a bare decade from her first solo exhibition at the Living Art Museum in 1983 until her death in 1991. The works on display provide a comprehensive view of Jóhanna Kristín's contribution to painting in Icelandic art.

In conjunction with this exhibition, a book is published on Jóhanna Kristín Yngvadóttir's life and art.