Around 70 works by Louisa Matthíasdóttir go on display

About 70 works by Louisa Matthíasdóttir are on show in Lífstakti, an exhibition that opened on October 10 at Arion Bank’s headquarters on Borgartún in Reykjavík, mbl.is reports. The works come from the private collection of Sigurður Arngrímsson and span different periods of the artist’s career. Many have not previously been shown to the public.

Matthíasdóttir was born in Reykjavík in 1917 and grew up in Höfði, near the exhibition venue. She went to study art in Copenhagen at a young age and later continued her studies in Paris. In 1942, she moved to New York to study with painter Hans Hofmann. There she met her husband, painter Leland Bell, and held her first solo exhibition in 1948.

Although she spent most of her life in the United States, Iceland remained a source of inspiration. Icelandic landscapes, rural life and street scenes from Reykjavík feature prominently in her work, alongside self-portraits, depictions of her family and still lifes of her home. Many of her works are characterised by clear colours, distinct forms and a sense of stillness. Matthíasdóttir died in 2000.

The exhibition runs until February 12 and is open on Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Filmmaker María Matthíasdóttir of mbl.is attended the opening and made a video showing the exhibition.