Paintings and drawings by Thorarinn B. Thorlaksson (1867-1924) will be offered at an online auction April 18th through April 29th.
Thirteen works, both drawings and paintings will be offered by this pioneer of Icelandic art. All works will be on display at Galleri Fold, Reykjavik but many of them have been exhibited at the National Gallery of Iceland in the past.
This is a unique event because works of art by Thorarinn B. Thorlaksson are rare and appear only on few occasions for the public. According to Johann Agust Hansen, art dealer at Galleri Fold, there are usually only one or two paintings sold each year. The demand is much higher than the supply, but it is extremely difficult to acquire these valuable paintings. It is even more rare to see drawings by the artist because few of them have been preserved. At this auction there are a few drawings offered but the gallery has only sold drawings by Thorarinn B. Thorlaksson twice before in the last two decades.
Thorarinn B. Thorlaksson was born in 1867, the 13th of 14 siblings and the son of a priest, but he lost his father at a young age. He travelled to Reykjavik in 1885 to train and work as a bookbinder. He studied painting under a Copenhagen-trained Icelandic artist Thora Thoroddsen. Thorlaksson went to Copenhagen to study art in 1895 on a grant awarded by the Icelandic Parliament. On his return to Iceland he held an exhibition of his works in the summer of 1900. This exhibition is considered to be the first exhibition of Icelandic paintings. Thorlaksson influanced many other Icelandic artists, he taught drawing and sold artistic materials and was one of the founders of the Friends of the Arts which built a showroom in Reykjavik. Thorarinn B. Thorlaksson is the oldest painter among those considered the pioneers of Icelandic art.
The auction and the exhibition of his work is a unique opportunity for all art loving people to see the works of Thorlaksson.
Please direct your enquiry to Mr. Hansen at
hansen@myndlist.is or telephone +354 551 0400.
