Dadi Gudbjornsson: painter, Iceland

To me never did well with this deep truth, I started painting in a slightly wild style which went well until I got over the existential crisis and went to the mug doodles which were kinder and on a human scale.

Creative biography DADI GUDBJORNSSON

Education: Art School in Reykjavík 1969-1976, Iceland Art and Handicraft School 1976-1980, Rijksakademi van Beldende Kunsten in Amsterdam 1983-1984. Apprenticeship in furniture making in 1976.

Career. After a successful career at sea and land, mostly in house construction, I have since 1983 almost exclusively painted paintings and printed graphic images. Worked part-time as an instructor at the Icelandic School of Art and Handicrafts from 1985 to 1989 and at the Art School in Reykjavík from 1988 to 1997. I have participated in numerous group exhibitions and held solo exhibitions, mostly in Iceland but also abroad. An exhibition with a large exhibition catalog at Kjarvalsstaðir in 1993. Also produced book works and book decorations. Has works in major art museums in Iceland. Was a participant in the Golden Brushes exhibitions from 1999 and Akvarell Ísland 2000. Set for the Icelandic Opera 2002. Other jobs: Chairman of the Association of Icelandic Visual Artists 1986 to 1990. Council of the Icelandic Museum of Art 1987 to 1989. Worked with the cultural issues of the Independence Party and was a member of the Rotary Club Reykjavík city center since 1993. Acknowledgments: Artist’s salary 1991. Also salary from the Icelandic state and the City of Reykjavík. Prize in a food recipe competition at Väka Helgafelli in 1997.
He has held numerous solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions at home and abroad. Various works by him are e.g. owned by the Icelandic Museum of Art and the City of Reykjavík.

private exhibitions

1980-2023
More than 60 exhibitions in Iceland and other countries.

group exhibitions

1979-2020
About 80 exhibitions in
Iceland,
Italy
Sweden,
Denmark,
Japan,
Yugoslavia,
Netherlands,
France,
UK,
Norway,
Finland,
USA,
Germany,
Belgium.
China,
Crete,
Sweden.

committees and councils

1986-1990 Formaður Fím.
1987-1989 Safnráð Listasafns Íslands.
2000- 2004 Safnráð Listasafns Íslands,Varamaður.
2007- Muggur tengsla sjóður fyrir myndlistarmenn.
2005-2007 Stjórn Kvikmyndaskóla Íslands.

Reykjaness Art Museum

Dadi donated hundreds of his graphic works to the museum. Almost all of its variations can be found there, with the exception of messo ink, which the artist says he avoided because of how time-consuming it is, as well as the fact that it “didn’t fit the destination he was looking for “, according to the artist. There are woodblocks, fabric blocks, lithographs, copper etchings, silkscreens, monoprints, offset prints and mixed works, where two or three print variants are combined. Not forgetting hand-dyed or overprinted prints in all the colors of the rainbow. The artist’s inventiveness seems to have no limits. It is clear that there are raw materials for both exhibitions and multi-method didactic experiments with visual arts students. Reykjaness Art Museum has made an effort to work with schools in the municipality.

Work process

Artworks

Series Nothing distracts the mountain

When I was young, landscape pictures weren't exactly fashionable and I thought to myself; "I can paint a landscape when I'm old, then everyone cares." Oil painting was actually not well seen even when I was in Myndó handó, it should rather do something that seemed to refer to a "deeper truth." To me never did well with this deep truth, I started painting in a slightly wild style which went well until I got over the existential crisis and went to the mug doodles which were kinder and on a human scale. One of my main hobbies is walking through Iceland's nature, through grassy countryside, valleys and beaches and looking at the mountains and glaciers. It has made me want to paint a landscape, I decided now that it was time to try the landscape but also promise to include some cruise dolls, so it won't be too deep.

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