History of Kjar­vals­staðir

Kjarvalsstaðir hosts regular exhibitions of the works of Jóhannes S. Kjarvals (1885 -1972), as he occupies a special place in Icelandic cultural and art history as one of the nation’s most beloved artists, past and present. It also holds exhibitions of paintings and sculptures by well-known domestic and international masters of modern art. The building features floor-to ceiling windows that look onto the beautiful Klambratún Park, which was specially designed and planned as part of the artistic culture of the city of Reykjavík.

Kjarvalsstaðir is located in the Klambratún park, one of the few recreational areas in Reykjavík to be planned and designed as part of the city’s artistic culture. The building was designed by Hannes Kr. Davíðsson and inaugurated in 1973.Kjarvalsstaðir maintains continuous exhibits from its collection of works by painter Jóhannes Kjarval, who bequeathed a large collection of artwork and personal effects to the city of Reykjavík, and also displays paintings, sculpture, and architectural design by established artists and architects.

In 1964, the Reykjavik City Council decided to plan a park in the city, featuring a sculpture of the poet Einar Benediktsson, to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of his birth and, following this, a further decision was made to build an art museum with a restaurant in this new park, to honour the painter Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval, who was due to turn eighty the following year. In August 1966 Kjarval broke ground for Kjarvalsstaðir at a ceremony on the 180th anniversary of the incorporation of Reykjavík, but he died in 1972, a year before the museum’s formal opening. Care was lavished on every detail of the building and, until the new City Hall was built, Kjarvalsstaðir was used for important municipal receptions.

Construction

The Kjarvalsstaðir building and Klambratún park lie at the confluence of three neighborhoods – Hlíðar, Rauðará and Norðurmýri – three densely populated, low-rise, homogeneous residential areas from the mid twentieth century, when Reykjavík was rapidly expanding. The location of Kjarvalsstaðir in the northernmost part of the field takes into account the overall picture of the garden and the building, as the museum has the appearance of a fine art pavilion. The pavilion consists of two wings enclosing a courtyard, joined together by a slender central wing. It is relatively shut off from the north and the street, but opens up toward the southern sunlight and lush green park.

In his designs for this building, architect Hannes Kr. Davíðsson was inspired by Japanese influences to Nordic modernism, with its emphasis on raw natural building materials, a quality of lightness, and simplified lines throughout. Kjarvalsstaðir’s lightness is expressed in its support structure: slender columns carry the horizontal, copper-clad roof. This allows for freedom and flexibility in the walls, since they are not load-bearing.

Many elements of the building’s detailing highlight its delicacy, such as horizontal exterior accents over the windows, tracing the line of the roof, or interior columns that project diagonally through glass skylights. Hannes Kr. Davíðsson often used innovative building materials, and Kjarvalsstaðir features walls of unfinished or raw concrete, in which the grain of the concrete mould is still visible in the texture, and exterior cladding of Corten steel, thick steel plates which have been allowed to rust to some extent. This use of materials imbues the concrete with a substantial texture and warmth, and the rough surface of the weathered steel glows like coal in response to strong sunlight. The main entrance to the museum, on its north wall facing a quiet street, is somewhat hidden, as the building is accessed across a small forecourt. Once inside, however, the building opens onto the park, where walking areas walled in floor-to-ceiling glass panels enclose the stone-tiled central courtyard on three sides. Some of the windows are actually functional sliding doors or panels, which can be moved aside to dissolve the line between the building’s interior and the stone-tiled courtyard beyond.

The interior features the same emphasis on natural building materials and their propensity for conjuring up a warm, informal atmosphere. Rough walls of raw concrete complement the delicate, unpainted hardwood of the ceiling panelling and window casings, and the double wide doors to the exhibition halls are covered with light canvas. In the middle wing where the restaurant is located, a portion of the ceiling is lowered, highlighting the horizontal aspect of the building and its space. From the stone tiles of the floor to the positioning of the windows and columns, every component fits and defines the scale of the building. Floor tiles made of Icelandic dolerite are laid on both sides of the glass, outdoors and in, further underscoring the unity of park and building.

The exhibition halls lie in two long wings, the East Gallery and the West Gallery, on either side of the central space. To protect art objects from direct sunlight, the ceiling scheme was specifically designed to diffuse natural light through the galleries — whether during the sun’s long, high summer trajectory or its low winter position. It is also possible to simply transform the gallery space through a custom-designed system of dividing walls that are anchored to joints in the floor. The pedestrian areas outside the exhibition halls, the East and West galleries, also serve as exhibition space, particularly for three-dimensional sculptures and other objects that benefit from the surrounding play of light and shadow in accordance with the season and the weather. At even intervals along the lengths of the halls, slender concrete load-bearing columns rise from the floor and project diagonally out through skylights, effortlessly carrying the gallery roof.

The park

The Klambratún park, designed for year-round public recreation, consists of open areas interspersed with smaller and more sheltered spaces for playing and art. In the northeast corner of the park is a man-made slope ideal for children’s sleds as well as for sunbathing, while the large flat lawns south of Kjarvalsstaðir invite large gatherings such as outdoor concerts or art-festival events. A thick windbreak of tall trees provides a shelter from the heavy traffic on Miklabraut along the south side, but otherwise the design of the gardens is a coordination of soft geometrical forms. The park was established in 1964 in accordance with the design proposal of landscape architect Reynir Vilhjálmsson.

Architect

The architect of Kjarvalsstaðir, Hannes Kr. Davíðsson (1916-95), became a journeyman mason in 1938 but then went on to study architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, graduating in architecture there in 1945.On returning to Iceland he worked for a while for architect Guðjón Samúelsson, then Master Builder to the government, and went on to establish his own design studio in 1950. Hannes Kr. Davíðsson moved into the vanguard of new ideas and attitudes in post-War Iceland, notably through experimentation with innovative uses of concrete, as well as the use of glass for light building facades.

Major works: Private residence, Skaftahlíð 3 (1947).The residence of author Gunnar Gunnarsson at Dyngjuvegur 8 (1949-50).Residences at Akurgerði and on Sogavegur (1951-52). Keldur, the Institute for Experimental Pathology (research and animal laboratories, 1946-89).The pharmacies Holtsapótek and Apótek Vesturbæjar (1954). Liverpool store on Laugarvegur (1955). Bjarnarnes Church at Nesjar in Hornafjörður (1956).

The artist

The painter Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval lived from 1885-1972. He attended workshops in drawing and painting under Þórarinn and Ásgrímur Jónsson and in 1911 travelled abroad to London and then to Denmark, where he began formal studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, graduating there in 1917. He holds a special place in Icelandic art and cultural history as one of the country’s most beloved painters of all time. Through his works, Icelanders have developed a new appreciation for Iceland’s natural landscapes, nationhood, and the elusive boundaries between the real and supernatural.

Kjarval bequeathed a large part of his works, including paintings, drawings, and personal effects, to the City of Reykjavík in 1968. Part of the bequest was exhibited at the 1973 opening of Kjarvalsstaðir and varied selections from the museum collection have been on display ever since. The collection has grown steadily over the years.