We are delighted to present this October a large watercolour by Icelandic artist Karólína Lárusdóttir (1944 -2019). The Magic Man will take centre stage in the exhibition which also features rare editions of her sought after etchings.

The Magic Man is a wonderful example of how Karólína explored her early upbringing in Iceland through her painting and printmaking. The setting, a rocky shore with rich blue seas and grey leaden skies, evokes the volcanic landscapes of her homeland, with onlookers at the shoreline, expectantly waiting for the action to begin. A woman delves into her handbag, while the Magician holds out his oversized hand towards her, we wonder what is she looking for? A coin for a trick, a playing card, will she discover a rabbit or a dove?

The interaction between the protagonists creates more questions than answers, leaving us in a constant state of anticipation, which is a signature of Karólína’s work, she presents the incongruous with just enough detail to leave us wanting to know more.

This theatre is played out through much of her work, a key influence was her family connection to the Hotel Borg, Reykjavik. The first ‘grand’ hotel in Iceland, it was opened in 1930, and built by Karólína’s grandfather, a former strongman in a travelling circus. The hotel became a fixture of Icelandic cultural life, with teas, parties and musical evenings. Karólína, who spent a lot of time at the hotel throughout her childhood, has taken many of the characters of the hotel as players in her work. Chefs and chambermaids gather with hotel guests who sit with their tea and toast. They are unsmiling, yet never dour, as if in tacit understanding.

The occasion of a gathering was considered hugely important in mid -50’s Icelandic society, a reason to dress in Sunday best, to see family and friends or for a birthday party. To have a performer to entertain would have been a real treat, hence the great reverence shown to our magician.

Karólína’s work is also underpinned by the other-worldly and mystic elements of Icelandic culture. Using wry humour, she enhances the surreal and timeless qualities of different happenings, depicting stern-looking angels and other mysterious characters that appear in her art works.

Born and raised in Iceland, Karólína Lárusdóttir moved to Oxford to study at the prestigious Ruskin School of Art at Oxford University, graduating in 1967. Despite living and working for most of her life in the UK, Karólína admits, “everything in my work is to do with Iceland: the landscape, the people, the way I remember life as a child”.