Pearl Necklace

Nína Sæmundsson, Hafmeyjan, ca. 1948

Pearl Necklace/ Perlufestin Statue Garden was opened on 19 June 2014 in memory of the pioneer women of Icelandic sculpture. It is located in the southwestern corner of the Hjómskálagarður park.

The park was named Pearl Necklace/ Perlufestin at the suggestion of the Icelandic Love Corporation (ILC) art collective. The name refers to the circular position of the sculptures in relation to each other in the garden, but also highlights the fact that each artist and art piece is individually special, like pearls that have been strung on a thread.

The Pearl Necklace comprises sculptures by six women who were pioneers in sculpture in Iceland, Gunnfríður Jónsdóttir (1889–1968), Nína Sæmundsson (1892-1962), Tove Ólafsson (1909-1992), Þorbjörg Pálsdóttir (1919-2009), Ólöf Pálsdóttir (1920) and Gerður Helgadóttir (1928-1975).

The works are: The Settler Woman by Gunnfríður Jónsdóttir, Mermaid by Nína Sæmundsson, Man and Woman by Tove Ólafsson, Boy and Girl by Þorbjörg Pálsdóttir, Son by Ólöf Pálsdóttir and Sculpture by Gerður Helgadóttir.

The garden is a monument to the important pioneering work these women accomplished at a time when there was little understanding of what they contributed to artistic creation. A sculpture park in the centre of Reykjavík highlights the status of female artists as the foremothers of the common artistic tradition of all citizens.

You can find an audio guide to the park in the "Reykjavík Art Walk" app.

Gunnfríður Jónsdóttir, Landnámskonan, 1955.
Ólöf Pálsdóttir, Sonur, 1955.
Tove Ólafsson, Maður og kona, 1948.
Gerður Helgadóttir, Skúlptúr, 1968.