THE ARTIST

Þorsteinn Helgason is an Icelandic visual artist, educated as an architect at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, and a co-owner of the architectural firm Ask Arkitektar. He also studied visual arts at the Reykjavik Academy of the Arts and at the Iceland Academy of the Arts. Þorsteinn Helgason paints abstract works, often characterized by planes of color in primary tones, usually executed in oil on canvas.

AN INTUITIVE APPROACH

Flow guides Þorsteinn’s brush, shaping color and form with intuitive gestures that echo the rhythms of nature. His paintings unfold as layered landscapes of intermingling hues, where movement and balance emerge organically across the canvas. Each shape seems alive, dancing with the next, capturing the memory of the artist’s hand and the subtle dialogue between intuition and material. It is perhaps no coincidence that these works evoke music: Þorsteinn is a passionate jazz enthusiast, composes jazz, and has often noted the close affinity he perceives between painting and improvisational sound.

„Guided by my emotions, I let intuition lead the way. Fully present in the moment, I allow feelings to flow freely, shaping the work as it unfolds.“

EDUCATION

Architect, Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture, Copenhagen, 1988
Student, Reykjavik Academy of the Arts, 1993–1996
Visiting student, Iceland Academy of the Arts, 1996–1997

EXHIBITIONS

2022
Korpúlfsstaðir Art Fair
Gallery Fold
2021
Ásmundasalur (collective exhibition)
2020
Samsláttur (collective exhibition), Korpúlfsstaðir
Ásmundasalur (collective exhibition)
Kirkjuhúsið (SÍM collective exhibition)
2019
NYA Gallery104, New York (collective exhibition)
2018
Gallery Fold
2016–2018
Galleri Krebsen, Copenhagen (collective exhibitions)
2014
Gallery Fold
2012
Netagerðin (collective exhibition)
Gallery Fold
Galleri Krebsen (collective exhibition)
International Watercolor Exhibition, Genoa, Italy
2011
Efla Engineering Office
2010–2011
Galleri Krebsen, Copenhagen (collective exhibition)
2010
Gallery Lisse Bruun, Copenhagen (collective exhibition)
Reykjavík Art Gallery, Skúlagata
Nordic Watercolor Exhibition, Nordic House, Reykjavik (collective exhibition)
2007
Gallery Fold
2005
Galleri Sct. Gertrud, Copenhagen
Gallery Fold
Art Herning, Denmark
Landsbanki Íslands, Lágmúla branch (collective exhibition)
2004
Efstaleiti Health Center
Landsbanki Íslands, Lágmúla branch (collective exhibition)
2003
Gallery Fold: Smákorn – collective exhibition of 36 artists with small works
Eyewear store Linsan
Akranes Art Center
2002
Gallery Fold
2000
Gallery Fold
Winsor & Newton, London
Winsor & Newton, Stockholm
Winsor & Newton, New York
1998
Café Mílanó
Gallery Borg (I)
Gallery Borg (II)
Listaskálinn in Hveragerði (collective exhibition)

A painting by Þorsteinn was selected for the Winsor & Newton Millennium Painting Competition after a national preliminary round. His work reached the finals and was exhibited in London, Stockholm, and New York. Winsor & Newton is one of the most renowned manufacturers of art supplies in the world

WORK

Þorsteinn’s works are held by various public institutions, including:
Umhverfisráðuneytið (The Ministry for the Environment). Skýrr,Association of Icelandic Municipalities, The Embassy of Iceland in Berlin
His works are also part of the collections of several major companies in Iceland, including:
Arion Bank, Baugur, Samskip, Skeljungur
The following galleries represent and sell Þorsteinn’s works:
Gallery Fold, Reykjavík, Reykjavík Art Gallery, Galleri Krebsen, Copenhagen