Overview

Born in 1943 in Dalasýsla, West Iceland, Hreinn Friðfinnsson has been living in Amsterdam since 1971. He has exhibited internationally since the 1970s and has had solo exhibitions at respected institutions such the National Gallery of Iceland, the Serpentine Gallery in London, UK, and Malmö Konsthall in Sweden. In 2021, Friðfinnsson's presented his first American museum exhibition, which spans six decades of his works, at the Museum of Art and Design (MOAD) in Miami, Florida. 

 

Friðfinnsson graduated from the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts in Reykjavik in 1958. In the 1960s, he was a co-founder of the Icelandic artist group SÚM and of Gallery SÚM. The artist represented Iceland at the Venice Biennale in 1993 and in 1995, an exhibition by Friðfinnsson inaugurated i8 Gallery. Using everyday materials as a basis, Friðfinnsson continually explores elements of time, environment, narration, memory, and perception. He incorporates elements that have an inherent fragility, such as glass, leaves, feathers, and mirrors, which underscores the poetic, ephemeral nature of his practice.

Works
House Project Fourth House, 2017
Exhibitions
Public Exhibitions
Video
Biography

b. 1943 in Dalasýsla, West Iceland

Lives and works in Amsterdam

 

EDUCATION AND MORE

 

1965

Co-founder of Gallerí SÚM, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

1958-1960

Icelandic Academy of Arts and Crafts, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

 

2022

Conduct 10, i8 Gallery, Reykjavik

 

2021

For the Time Being, Museum of Modern Art and Design, Miami, USA

One Thing and Another, and Then Some More, Galería Elba Benitez, Madrid, Spain

 

2020

MIDNIGHT JUMP, Rozenstraat - a rose is a rose is a rose, Amsterdam, Netherland

A Group of Pieces, Galerie Nordenhake, Stockholm, Sweden
Dark, Light and Green, The Icelandic Folk and Outsider Art Museum, Svalbarðsströnd, Iceland

 

2019

To Catch a Fish with a Song: 1964–Today, Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève, Geneve, Switzerland; KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, Germany

Moving Image Department #11 IMAGE (of) SILENCE, National Gallery Prague, Prague, Czech Republic 

 

2018
By the Ocean, Eenwerk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

2017

Hulduklettur, Galerie Nordenhake, Berlin, Germany

 

2016

Gallerí Gangur / The Corridor, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

2015

I Collected Personal Secrets, Kunstverein, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Between what and what not, Meessen-De Clercq, Brussels, Belgium

Echoes and Reflections, Gallerie Nordenhake, Stockholm, Sweden

 

2014

A Portrait of a Sculptor of a Sculpture, with a Sculpture by the Sculptor, i8 Gallery, Reykjavik

Time and time again, The Living Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

2013   

Around and About, Galeria Elba Benitez, Madrid, Spain

Hreinn Friðfinnsson, Galerie Nordenhake, Berlin, Germany

Hreinn Fridfinnsson: Untitled, Meessen de Clercq, Brussels, Belgium

 

2012

House, Hafnarborg – Center of Culture and Fine Art, Hafnafjörður, Iceland

 

2011        

Recent Works, Galerie Anhava, Helsinki, Finland

 

2010        

More or Less, i8 Gallery, Reykjavik

To spin and swing You need a Beat, Claudine Papillon, Paris, France

 

2009   

Galería Elba Benitez, Madrid, Spain

Galerie Nordenhake, Stockholm, Sweden

Meessen De Clercq, Brussels, Belgium

 

2008   

The Fall, Malmö Konsthall, Malmö, Sweden

Bergen Konsthall, Bergen, Norway

Hreinn Friðfinnsson, Galerie Nordenhake, Berlin, Germany

 

2007   

Serpentine Gallery, London, UK

Hreinn Friðfinnsson, Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland

           

2006   

Sögubrot og Myndir, Sudsudvestur, Keflavik, Iceland

Claudine Papillon, Paris, France

 

2005   

Reykjavik Arts Festival, Gallery Slunkaríki, Ísafjordur, Iceland

 

2004   

Hreinn Friðfinnsson, Galerie Nordenhake, Berlin, Germany

 

2003   

Safn Collection, Reykjavik, Iceland

i8 Gallery, Reykjavík, Iceland

 

2002   

Galerie Papillon-Fiat, Paris, France

Domaine de Kerguéhennec - Centre d´art contemporain, Bignan, France

Kyoto Art Center, Kyoto, Japan

 

2001   

E 541 Art House, Iceland

Something Black, Something White, Something Neither Black Nor White, Ljósaklif, Hafnarfjörður, Iceland

 

2000   

Galerie Papillon-Fiat, Paris, France

Hreinn Friðfinnsson. Ars Fennica 2000, Waïnö Aaltonen Museum of Art, Turku;

Hämeenlinnan Art Museum, Hämeenlinna, Finland

Museum of Earth, Warsaw, Poland

 

1999   

Galerie Alexandra Von Scholz, Berlin, Germany

i8 Gallery, Reykjavik

Gallery Anhava, Helsinski, Finland

Edition Camomille, Brussels, Belgium

 

1998   

Another Place, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Gallery Fiskurinn, Reykjavik, Iceland

Gallery 20m2, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

1997   

Gallery Corridor, Reykjavik, Iceland

Galerie Claudine Papillon, Paris, France

 

1996   

Galerie Nordenhake, Stockolm, Sweden

Gallery Sólon Islandus, Reykjavik, Iceland

Gallery Alexandra von Scholz, Berlin, Germany

 

1995   

Gallery Riis, Oslo, Norway

i8 Gallery, Reykjavik

 

1994   

Ultima Thule, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The Living Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland

Gallery Riis, Oslo, Norway

Gallery Anhava, Helsinki, Finland

Galerie Camille von Scholz, Brussels, Belgium

Galerie Claudine Papillon, Paris, France

 

1993   

National Gallery, Reykjavik, Iceland

Icelandic Pavillon (with Johann Eyfells), Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy 

 

1992   

Rhythms in Space, ICA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Galerie Nordenhake, Stockholm, Sweden

 

1991   

Gallery Van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

1990   

Reykjavik Arts Festival, Reykjavik, Iceland

Galerie Claudine Papillon, Paris, France

 

1989   

Gallery Slunkaríki, Isafjördur, Iceland

Galerie Nordenhake, Stockholm, Sweden

 

1988   

Hreinn Friðfinnsson, Kunstnerens Hus, Oslo, Norway

Nordic Arts Center, Gallery Augusta, Helsinki, Finland

 

1987   

Le Magasin/Centre National d'Art Contemporain, Grenoble, France

Gallery Suzanne Biederberg, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Forum, Galerie Bama, Zürich, Switzerland

 

1986   

Galerie Bama, Paris, France

 

1985   

Gallery Suzanne Biederberg, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

1984   

Galerie Bama, Paris, France

 

1979   

Galerie Bama, Paris, France

Gallery Helen Van der Meij, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

1977   

Seriaal, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Galleri Sudurgata 7, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

1976   

Galerie Elsa Von Honolulu, Gent, Belgium

Galerie Gaëtan, Geneve, Switzerland

 

1974   

Gallery SÚM, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

1973   

Hreinn Friðfinnsson, In-Out Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Gallery Fignal, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

1972   

In-Out Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

1971   

Gallery Balderich, Mönchengladbach, Germany

Gallery Fignal, Haarlem, The Netherlands

Gallery 845, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

 

2022

A Family Story, MAC Lyon, Lyon, France (forthcoming)

 

2021

Abrakadabra, Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

2020
Fortieth Anniversary Exhibition of The Corridor, Gallerí Gangur / The Corridor,

Reykjavík, Iceland
For Eyes That Listen, Arter, Instanbul, Turkey

Dark, Light and Green, The Icelandic Folk and Outsider Art Museum, Svalbarðsströnd, Iceland

 

2019 

30 ans pile!, Galerie Papillon, Paris, France

Outline, Gerðarsafn - Kopavogur Art Museum, Kopavogur, Iceland

 

2018

Speak of Money and Love, Galerie Papillon, Paris, France

Honey, I Rearranged the Collection, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany
The Unending Gift, Meessen De Clercq, Brussels, Belgium
Una fornace a Marsiglia / A furnace in Mareille, Cirva, Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Venice, Italy
After Finitude, a selection by Elena Damiani, Galerie Nordenhake, Mexico City, Mexico

 

2017

The Unique versus Series versus the Multiple, Galerie Van Gelder, Amsterdam,

The Netherlands

Salon Hang bi-annual, Kunstverein, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Happy People, The Living Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland

Skulptur Projekte Münster, Münster, Germany

Many. More. Most.,  Nordiska Akvarellmuseet, Skärhamn, Sweden

Rolling Snowball /9, Djúpivogur, Iceland

Fact of the Matter – Draft of Contemporary Art History in Iceland [1.0],

Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

2016

TEXT, National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland

Cycle Music and Art Festival, Gerdarsafn Kópavogur Art Museum, Kópavogur, Iceland

Lightpaint, National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland

Once we were next-door neighbours with John Zurier, ASÍ Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland

Blancs d'hiver, Galerie Papillon, Paris, France

Expanding Frontiers, Fundaccion Hippocren, Paris, France

Frequent Long Walks, Hannah Barry Gallery, London, United Kingdom

After Gerolama Cardano's suspense, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

198920072016, Galerie Papillon, Paris, France

 

2015

25 años, Galería Elba Benítez, Madrid, Spain

My first summer in the Sierra, Frac île-de-france - Château de Rentilly, Paris, France

Real Life, Skaftfell Art Center, Seydisfjördur, Iceland

Notions of Time, with Roman Signer, Safn, Berlin, Germany

Narrativas monumentales. Figuras, paisajes y rituales, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Gas Natural Fenosa (MAC), A Coruña, Spain

A.N.T.H.R.O.P.O.C.E.N.E., Meessen De Clercq, Brussels, Belgium

 

2014

Pushing Reality, Grundemark Nilsson Gallery, Berlin, Germany

Solides Fragiles, Mudam Luxembourg, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

Your Compound View, Listasafn Reykjavikur/Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland

Hreinn Fridfinsson & Bruce McLean, Grazer Kunstverein, Graz, Austria

Saint Jerome, Meessen de Clercq, Brussels, Belgium

DRAWN, Galerie Nordenhake, Berlin, Germany

Do it Moscow, Garage Center for Contemporary Culture / GCCC, Moscow, Russia

 

2013

Works on Paper, i8 Gallery, Reykjavik

Otremare, Gallery Vistamare, Pescara, Italy

Mon Íle de Montmajour, Abbaye de Montmajour, Arles, France

Only To Melt, Trustingly, Without Reproach, Galerija Skuc, Ljubljana, Slovania

 

2012   

The Imminence of Poetics, 30th São Paulo Biennial, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Performing Abstraction, Galeria Luciana Brito, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Ends of the Earth – Land Art to 1974, MOCA, Los Angeles, USA;

Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany

Disserting Nature, Quint Contemporary Art, La Jolla, USA

Explorateurs, Musée de l'Abbaye Sainte-Croix des Sables d'Olonne, Les Sables d'Olonne, France

 

2011

Perspectives - On the Borders of Art and Philosophy, Reykjavik Art Museum,

Reykjavik, Iceland

Be Nice To Me, Galerie Nordenhake, Berlin, Germany

Faster and Slower Lines, Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland

The Icelandic Folk and Outsider Museum, Svalbarðsströnd, Iceland

I like to watch, curated by Hlynur Hallsson. Kuckei+Kuckei, Berlin, Germany

In Between, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

A for artists, E for exhibitions, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

2010        

Exhibition, Exhibition, Castello di Rivoli - Museum of Contemporary Art, Turin, Italy

Cornered Rooms – Facing In – Facing Out, Waterside Project Space, London, UK

In the Face of Spatial Grandeur, Circuit, Lausanne, Switzerland

Konstruktioner, Västerås Konstmuseum, Västeras, Sweden

Objects are like they appear, Meessen de Clercq, Brussels, Belgium

The Ephemeral, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

2009

Volcano Lovers – From Iceland and Japan, Ise Cultural Foundation, New York, USA

Quiet Revolution, Hayward Touring Curatorial Open 2009, Southbank Center, London, UK

Mirrors, MARCO Vigo, Vigo, Spain

Several Friends, National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

2008

Icelandic Art, Quint Contemporary Art, San Diego, USA

Dreams of the Sublime and Nowhere in Contemporary Icelandic Art, Reykjavik Art Museum, Iceland

Pleinairism, i8 Gallery, Reykjavik

Experiment Marathon Reykjavik, Reykjavik Art Museum, Iceland

Le bruissement des images, Centre Photographique d’Ile de France, Pontault Combault, France

 

2007

Ad mynda ord, Hoffmannsgallery, Reykjavik, Iceland

Drawing A Tiger, Galerie Nordenhake, Berlin, Germany

O-Nattura Alas Nature, National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland

Le Bruissement des Images, CPIF/Centre Photographique d'Ile de France,

Pontault Combault, France

 

2006   

Northern Images, Hoffmannsgallery, Reykjavik, Iceland

EMMA - Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Espoo, Finland

Chers Amis, Domaine de Kerguéhennec, Bignan, France

Wintery Cold, Gallery Van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

In Between, The Nordic Watercolor Museum, Skärhamn, Sweden

 

2005   

Material Time / Work Time / Life Time, Reykjavik Arts Festival, Iceland

Polyfoni, Suomenlinna, Helsinki, Finland

Tivoli, Hveragerdi, Iceland

Horizontal Memories (Water Event), Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo, Norway

Winterly cold, Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

2004   

Out of Place, Galerie Nordenhake, Berlin, Germany

Ars Fennica, Aboa Vetus Ars Nova, Turku, Finland;

Russian State Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia

Where do we go from here, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York, USA

Handlungsanweisung, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, Austria

Les mémes et méme quelques autres, Galerie Claudine Papillon, Paris, France

Éblouissement, Jeu de Paume, Paris, France

 

2002

Kyoto Arts Center, Kyoto, Japan

 

2001   

Somewhere of the rainbow, FRAC Haute Normandie, Sotteville-lès-Rouen, France

Ljósaklif, Hafnarfjordur, Iceland

 

2000

Azerty, un avécédaire autour des collections du FRAC Limousin, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France

Museum of Earth, Warsaw, Poland

64°N - 20°V, Galerie Nordenhake, Stockholm, Sweden

In the Mirror of Space & Time, Ásmundarsalur, Reykjavik, Iceland

Árátta, Gerðarsafn - Kopavogur Art Museum, Kópavogur, Iceland

Interplay, Contemporary Art Museum, Oslo, Norway

Amateur / Eldsjäl, Goteburg Art Museum, Göteborg, Sweden

Norden – Zeitgenössische Kunst aus Nordeuropa, Kunsthalle, Vienna, Austria

Carnegie Art Award 2000, Helsinki, Oslo, Goteborg, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Reykjavik

 

1999   

Natures Mortes, Galerie Papillon-Fiat, Paris, France

Museum of Foreign Art, Riga, Latvia

Dularfulli gardurinn, Ásmundarsalur, Reykjavik, Iceland

00, Gallery Van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

1998   

Look me in the eyes, Gallery Van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Losse werken, rake klappen, Gallery van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

1997   

Tekeningen, Gallery Maria Chailloux, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

De Verbouwing, de Verhuizing & de Verandering, Gallery Van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

1996   

Maisons-Cerveaux, La Ferme du Buisson, Noisiel, France

Dix ans de Création à Marseille, CIRVA, Musée de la Charité, Marseille, France

Landscape, Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

1995   

Pas pour la galerie, Galerie Camille Von Scholz, Brussels, Belgium

Tekeningen & tekeningen, Gallery Van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Collection, FRAC Limousin, Limoges, France

Maisons-Cerveaux, FRAC Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France

 

1994   

Wanås 94, Knislinge, Sweden

 

1993   

Reconsidered images, Gallery Van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Edities & unica, Gallery Van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

1992   

Artscape Nordland, Hattfjelldal, Norway

Il paesaggio Culturale, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome, Italy

Ijsland - Island, Zeeuws Museum, Middelburg, The Netherlands

Gallery Van der Berge, Goes, The Netherlands

 

1991   

They see the light, Gallery van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Galerie Claudine Papillon, Paris, France

Kunst Europa 1991 - Island, Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, Germany

Six logos around the carpet, Gallery Van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

1990   

Nordic Art Center, Helsinki, Finland

The Nordic '60s - Upheaval and Confrontation, National Gallery, Reykjavik, Iceland

The End of the Century, The Museum for Crafts, Moscow, Russia

Achilles de kwetsbare plek, Kasteel Groenevald, Baarn, The Netherlands

New Nordic Art, The Central House of Artists, Moscow, Russia

Ruhrfestspiele, Kunsthalle Recklinghausen, Recklinghausen, Germany

Utopies, Grand Palais, Paris, France

 

1989   

Many Pearls for a Line, Gallery Van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Utopies 89 – L'Europe des Créateurs, Grand Palais, Paris, France

Gallery Suzanne Biederberg, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Borealis 4, Nordic Art Center, Helsinki, Finland; Louisiana, Humlebaek, Denmark

SÚM 1965-1972, Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland

Galerie Claudine Papillon, Paris, France

 

1988   

Nýlistasafnid 10 ára, The Living Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland

Aldarspegill, National Gallery, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

1986   

Nordanad, Malmö Konsthall, Malmö, Sweden; Musée des arts décoratifs, Paris, France

 

1984   

10 gestir á Listahátíd, Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

1983   

ARS ’83, Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland

 

1982   

Sleeping Beauty - Art Now, Scandinavia Today, The Port of History Museum, Philadelphia, USA; Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA;  The Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA

Einkaheimar – Personal Worlds, The Living Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

1981   

Aspects de l'art déaujourd'hui 1970-80, Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Genève, Switzerland

 

1978   

Personal Worlds – Reality as Metaphor, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Elva moderna isländska konstnärer, Malmö Konsthall, Malmö, Sweden

 

1977   

Ça va? Ça va, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France

 

1975   

Galerie Waalkens, Finsterwolde, The Netherlands

Kunstmuseum Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland

 

1974   

Driemans-tentoonstelling, Gallerie t'Hoogt, Utrecht, The Netherlands

H20, St. Nicolaj Kirke, Copenhagen, Denmark

Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, The Netherlands

 

1973   

8th Biennale de Paris, Musée d'art moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France

 

1972   

Communications, Gallery Inhibodress, Sydney, Australia

SÚM á Listahátid í Reykjavik 1972, Gallery SÚM, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

1971   

SÚM IV, Museum Fodor, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

1969   

SÚM III, Gallery SUM, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

1967   

UM '67, Laugardalshöll, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

1966   

Den Nordiske Ungdomsbiennale for Bildende Kunst, Louisiana, Humlebaek, Denmark

 

1965   

SÚM I, Ásmundarsalur, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

 

PERMANENT INSTALLATIONS

 

2007   

Domaine de Kerguéhennec, Sculpture Park, France

 

2006

Isafjordur Collage, Ísafjörður, Iceland

 

2004   

Reykjavik Energy, Reykjavík, Iceland

 

1993   

Artscape Nordland, Hattfjelldal, Norway

 

1982   

Amsterdam City Hall, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

 

WORKS IN PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

 

FNAC (Fonds national d´art contemporain), Puteaux, France

FRAC (Fonds régional d´art contemporain), Dijon, France

FRAC Limousin, Limoges, France

FRAC Pays de la Loire, Carquefou, France

Liechtensteinische Staatliche Kunstsammlung, Vaduz, Liechtenstein

ASI Art Museum, Reykjavík, Iceland

Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavík, Iceland

The Living Art Museum, Reykjavík, Iceland

Malmö Konsthall, Malmö, Sweden

Malmö Konstmuseum, Malmö, Sweden

Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden

Musée national d´art moderne - Centre Pompidou, Paris, France

Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki, Finland

National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland

Netherlands Government Collections, The Hague, The Netherlands

Netherlands Institute for Cultural Heritage (ICN), Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Vehbi Koç Foundation, Istanbul, Turkey