11.04.1928–17.05.1975
Gerður Helgadóttir
Gerður Helgadóttir (1928–1975) became known in the 1960s for geometric iron sculptures, regarded as among the first three-dimensional abstract works made in Iceland. She designed stained glass for churches, among them Skálholt Cathedral, and a huge mosaic on the Customs House in Reykjavík. She had to study in several countries, and she worked mostly in Paris.
Biography
Gerður Helgadóttir's stained glass is not confined to Iceland. In 1964 windows to her designs were made for the Versöhnungskirche (Church of Reconciliation) in Essen-Rüttenscheid, and in 1964–1965 for the church on the Billebrinkhöhe in Essen-Bergerhausen. Her windows are also in the Catholic church of St Antonius in Bergisch Gladbach, in the Herkenrath district.
She was born on 11 April 1928 in Tröllanes, in Norðfjörður, in eastern Iceland.
She began her studies at the Art and Craft School of Iceland in Reykjavík. Then came Denmark, the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. The Icelandic sculptor Sigurjón Ólafsson taught her sculptural technique. She lived and worked in Paris, and her studio was there.
In the 1960s Gerður made geometric iron sculptures and abstract constructions. They made her known as one of the first in Iceland to work in three-dimensional abstraction. I think this part of her legacy is overshadowed today by the stained glass, although sculpture was her main occupation. Alongside it she worked in glass and mosaic: her windows decorate six Icelandic churches. The best known are in Skálholt Cathedral and in the church at Kópavogur. There are also windows in Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík and in the church of Hallgrímskirkja at Saurbær on Hvalfjörður, and in the church at Ólafsvík. It is not established which of the two churches of that name is meant.
In 1973 she made a large mosaic for the Customs House (Tollhús) on Hafnarstræti in Reykjavík. It was one of the largest artworks produced in Iceland up to that time.
In 1974 Gerður Helgadóttir was awarded the Order of the Falcon, Iceland’s highest state honour.
She died on 17 May 1975, at the age of forty-seven. The contents of her Paris studio were rescued by her friend Elín Pálmadóttir and by the artist’s sister Unnur, and everything was brought to Iceland. They donated the works to the town of Kópavogur on condition that it build a museum in her name and preserve and show them. The Gerðarsafn museum opened in 1994.
Profile notes