Jóhann Eyfells
photograph by Mark Alexander
Born(1923-06-21)21 June 1923
Reykjavík, Kingdom of Iceland
Died3 December 2019(2019-12-03) (aged 96)
Fredericksburg, Texas, U.S.
NationalityIcelandic
EducationMaster of Fine Arts
Known forsculptor
Spouse
Kristín Halldórsdóttir
​
​
(m. 1949; died 2002)​
Children1[1]

Jóhann Eyfells (21 June 1923 – 3 December 2019)[2] was an Icelandic artist.[3][4][5][6][7]

Originally trained as an architect, Jóhann worked as a Professor of Art at the University of Central Florida in Orlando[8] from 1969 until his retirement from university teaching in 1999.[9][10]

The son of the noted Icelandic landscape painter Eyjólfur J. Eyfells (1886–1979) Jóhann Eyfells had been showing his work at international venues since the 1960s.[11][12]

The source of his inspiration and the love of his life was his late wife, fellow artist and painter Kristín Halldórsdóttir (1917–2002), a former Icelandic model and dress designer, who he met in California and married on 26 September 1949.[10][1] Together they attended the University of Florida in Gainesville where Jóhann earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1953 and where he took a Master of Fine Art degree in sculpture in 1964.

Jóhann began creating his abstract sculptures in the early 1960s based on experiments in chemistry and physics, utilizing the interaction of the various inherent and transformative properties of metals, especially aluminum, iron and copper. His art often conceptual in approach. His use of materials varied between metal, wood, paper, cloth, and latex rubber.[9]

Jóhann's creative drive was to document the interaction between time, space and gravity. His work is based on the concepts of receptualism, a theory he developed to explain the essence of his art. He received much recognition throughout his career, including an invitation from the government of Iceland to represent his homeland at the 45th Venice Biennale.[9] His work has been featured in the United Nations' exhibition, World Artists at the Millennium and the nine-museum traveling exhibition What Nature Provides.[13][14]

In 2016 a documentary/biography on the then 92-year-old artist was released; "A Force in Nature: Johann Eyfells".[15][16]

References

  1. 1 2 "Jóhann Eyfells". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2023.Closed access icon
  2. ↑ "Johann Eyfells Sculpture". Artisans at Rocky Hill. Archived from the original on 2014-07-16. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  3. ↑ "Andlát: Jóhann Eyfells". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 4 December 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  4. ↑ Atli Ísleifsson (4 December 2019). "Jóhann Eyfells er látinn". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  5. ↑ Kristján Sigurjónsson (4 December 2019). "Jóhann Eyfells myndhöggvari látinn". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  6. ↑ Mark Vosburgh (12 September 1993). "The world takes note of abstract sculptor". The Orlando Sentinel. pp. D1. Retrieved 27 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  7. ↑ Mark Vosburgh (12 September 1993). "Eyfells' father sent him and brother to U.S. to study". The Orlando Sentinel. pp. D6. Retrieved 27 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  8. ↑ "Jóhann Eyfells í Svörtu á hvítu". Þjóðlíf (in Icelandic). 1 May 1988. p. 48. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 Guðrúnardóttir, Áslaug (2018-12-19). "Jóhann Eyfells: Palpable Forces". artmuseum.is. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  10. 1 2 "Remembering Johann Eyfells". CAH News. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  11. ↑ "Listaverk Jóhanns Eyfells hljóta viðurkenningu vestan hafs". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 23 May 1964. p. 9. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  12. ↑ Einar Falur Ingólfsson (18 February 2009). "Listamaðurinn sem tæki í sköpuninni". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). p. 35. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  13. ↑ "Johann Eyfells: Portrait of the Artist". Seminolemagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2009-08-29. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  14. ↑ "Johann Eyfells, Sculptor Represented in Florida Artists Registry.com". Floridaartistsregistry.com. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  15. ↑ "A Force in Nature: Jóhann Eyfells". imdb.com. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  16. ↑ "Náttúruafl: Jóhann Eyfells". ruv.is (in Icelandic). RÚV. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
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