The Mayor of Reykjavík Dagur B. Eggertsson and Una Dóra Copley – daughter of artist Nína Tryggvadóttir – have signed an agreement for the establishment of the Nína Tryggvadóttir Art Museum. It will be the first art museum dedicated to a woman artist in Reykjavík.

Over a thousand pieces donated
For the past months, work has been done to finalize contracts, register museum assets, compose a charter, and to settle inheritance issues in preparation for the founding of the Nína Tryggvadóttir Art Museum. Last Thursday, Mayor Dagur B. Eggertsson, on behalf of the City of Reykjavík, and Una Dóra Copley, Nína Tryggvadóttir’s only daughter, signed a formal agreement at the Höfði House in Reykjavík. The museum will be housed in the eastern part of Hafnarhúsið. As the western half of the building houses the Reykjavík Art Museum, the entire building will now be dedicated to the arts.

The agreement provides that Una Dóra Copley will donate over a thousand works of art by Nína Tryggvadóttir that reflect the artist’s entire career. The art in question includes paintings, drawings, glass art, and watercolours. Additionally, Una Dóra will bequeath real estate in Manhattan and Reykjavík to the City of Reykjavík, along with other works of art, a library, and more.

A brief history of Nína Tryggvadóttir
Nína Tryggvadóttir (1913-1968) was known primarily as a painter, although she also composed and illustrated children’s books. She was born on March 16, 1913 in Seyðisfjörður and died on June 18, 1968. As a young artist, she studied drawing under the tutelage Ásgrímur Jónsson. Alongside her studies at the Reykjavík Women’s Gymnasium, Nína studied art at the Academy of Finnur Jónsson and Jóhann Briem. She later studied painting at Det Kongelige Akadmi for de Skønne Kunsten in Copenhagen. Nína lived in Paris, London, and New York but always maintained a close connection to Iceland, where she held many private exhibitions. She was an active member of the abstract expressionist movement in New York, and her art can be found in museums and private collections around the world.

Reykjavík announces design competition
On Thursday, the City Board of Reykjavík announced that it would call for ideas and perspectives on a design competition to renovate Hafnarhús to house the Nína Tryggvadóttir Art Museum, to expand the premises of the Reykjavík Art Museum, and to create space within the building to be dedicated to painting and other art-related activity. The City will call for diverse voices ranging from artists; residents, of all ages; the Reykjavík Art Museum; sponsors of the Nína Tryggvadóttir Art Museum; the Erró Museum; the Iceland University of the Arts; the Harpa Conference Hall; and other interested parties.

Associated Artist

• Nina Tryggvadottir

Associated News

• October 2, 2021
  Nína Tryggvadóttir Museum Founded After Generous Donation
  Iceland Review
  Ragnar Tómas
  October 2, 2021
  


• February 16, 2021
  Nina Tryggvadottir Abstractions: Construction and Deconstruction
  GalleriesNow
  February 16, 2021
  


• November 30, 2017
  Press Release - Abstract Expressionism and Segue into the 1960s, Nina Tryggvadottir: Paintings from 1952 – 1963