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Sævar Karl, without much doubt Iceland’s best-known clothier, has for years operated a gallery adjacent to his stores in the centre of Reykjavík. Scores of artists have exhibited in his gallery and it has long since become an established part of the city’s cultural scene. Sævar Karl has now moved his stores to a new and impressive locale – described at the opening gala by an Armani representative as the finest store in all the Nordic countries – and the gallery has undergone a similar expansion. The new gallery is several times larger than the old and was designed by the artist and architect Gudjón Bjarnason, an art.is participant. The new gallery is the most significant improvement in exhibition space that Reykjavík has seen in recent years and will accommodate exhibitions of a much larger scale than the older one. Private galleries in Reykjavík have come and gone and few have endured as long as Sævar Karl’s. His current expansion puts his gallery at the forefront of Reykjavík’s exhibition scene.
art.is co-operate in the running of the gallery as consultants and curators. The first exhibition, opening January 10, is a show of new works by Jón Óskar, another art.is participant. Other exciting shows will follow and all will be announced here on the art.is site.
One important part in the running of Sævar Karl’s new gallery will be the revival of the Sjónthing – a seminar and exhibition series presenting veteran Icelandic artists, long hosted by Hannes Sigurdsson – in co-operation with Gerduberg, the Reykjavík Municipal Cultural Centre, and art.is. |
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