The origins of Gerðarsafn – The Kópavogur Art Museum can be traced back to 1977 when the heirs of revered artist Gerður Helgadóttir (1928-1975) donated all of her works to the Kópavogur Art and Culture Fund on the condition that the town would build an art museum to exhibit her works and preserve her memory. Gerðarsafn, designed by Benjamín Magnússon, was opened in 1994, thirty years ago, in Borgarholt in the centre of Kópavogur, just east of Kópavogur Church. The church features stunning stained-glass windows by Gerður, which depict the journey of life from cradle to grave.
To celebrate the museum’s thirtieth anniversary, the exhibition Metamorphosis – The Art of Gerður Helgadóttir is currently on display. This outstanding exhibition showcases the power of this giant in the visual arts. As the exhibition catalogue states: “Gerður’s creative force was immense, her ideas countless, and her observations deep and exploratory. Gerður was a pioneer in sculpture and a trailblazer in three-dimensional abstract art in Iceland. She challenged accepted ideas about visual art with her experimental approach. Her skill was extraordinary; she mastered numerous complex techniques and worked across various media, creating with a fluid, dancing, soaring agility, yet at the same time with great strength.”
In the Metamorphosis exhibition, Gerður’s art is placed in a historical context, and her works are examined in relation to the movements and trends of her time. The focus is particularly on the rapid changes in her artistic creation and her evolution from traditional figurative imagery to the abstract—how she transitioned from stone to clay to iron and bronze, from highly structured forms to a floating lightness, and towards more organic and natural shapes. Mere words hardly capture the timeless quality of Gerður’s art, but the exhibition manages to convey its essence—at once timeless and hugely enjoyable.
Frá sýningunni, Hamskipti – Listsköpun Gerðar Helgadóttur í Gerðarsafni í KópavogFrom the exhibition Metamorphosis – The Art of Gerður Helgadóttir at Gerðarsafn in Kópavogur.
Kópavogur 13/08/2024 : A7R IV, A7CR – FE 1.4/35mm GM, FE 1.8/20mm G
Photos & text : Páll Stefánsson
