Einar Hákonarson

He has been called “The crusader of the painting”,[2] due to his involvement in those conflicts many Icelandic painters have had with the public fine art centers over the last 20 years.

His father was a part-time artist and his 2 uncles were avid art lovers which was uncommon at that time in Iceland.

[5] Einar returned to Iceland after his education and held his first solo exhibition in Bogasalur Reykjavík 1968.

His show distinguished itself from its Icelandic art scene then current as Einar's paintings were pop, figurative and expressionistic.

This exhibition brought the figure back into the Icelandic painting, which had been dominated by the abstract art for years.

He paints in oil on canvas but also works with other mediums like printmaking, sculpture, stained glass, enamels and mosaic.

Apart from Iceland, Einar has lived in Sweden (7 years on and off) and for shorter periods in USA, Germany, and the Czech Republic.

[10] His work can be found in large numbers in official buildings, for example schools, banks, churches and the Icelandic parliament.

[19] The Art Center produced over 20 exhibitions of paintings and sculptures, together with numerous concerts, theater performances, poetry and book readings.

Einar said ”Finally there is a place for painters and other artists who do not fit into the governmental art, run by its long lasting directors”.

3000 people (1% of the country's population) attended the exhibition in one day and showed their support in Einar and the Icelandic painting.

After this show, Icelandic painters formed a group to push for more democracy in the Public art world.

[25] He was the artistic counselor of Kjarvalstadir, The City Gallery of Reykjavík 1987–1988 and a chairman of many exhibition committees.

[26] He was a deputy to the mayor in the governing body of the Hässelby Slott, cultural site of the Nordic capital cities 1982–1992.