Kópavogur mayor denies breaching mural contract

Kópavogur Mayor Ásdís Kristjánsdóttir has rejected claims that the town breached its agreement with artist Theresa Himmer by painting over her mural in Hamraborg, telling mbl.is that the contract period had ended.

The mural, called Sólarslóð, was intended to remain for three years under a 2019 agreement but stayed in place for seven. The town paid 1,386,000 krónur for the work.

Kristjánsdóttir said she made the decision in consultation with her staff after checking the town’s contractual obligations. She said the agreement allowed the town to remove the mural after three years if it did not consider itself able to maintain it.

“We did not have the means to maintain the work professionally beyond natural weathering,” she told mbl.is. She said the mural had run its course and the town considered the wall more useful for information about redevelopment in the town centre.

The wall now carries promotional material under the heading “A town centre in transformation.” Kristjánsdóttir said it is part of the town’s structures, is highly visible and will remain unchanged while construction work continues. Its future will be considered later.

The Association of Icelandic Artists has said the intervention was unacceptable without a professional process and appropriate consultation, and its board considers it a breach of contract. The association has urged the town to recreate the mural or hold an open competition for a new outdoor artwork.

Kópavogur informed Himmer by email that the mural would be removed. Kristjánsdóttir said she did not know whether the town had contacted the artist in any other way, and said she saw nothing wrong with the process.