Nína Sæmundsson or Nina Saemundsson (born Jónína Sæmundsdóttir; 22 August 1892 – 29 January 1965) was an Icelandic artist, known for her sculptures and paintings. She was active from the 1920s until the 1960s in Los Angeles, New York City, and Iceland. She worked as a

New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...

artist within the

Federal Art Project The Federal Art Project (1935–1943) was a New Deal program to fund the visual arts in the United States. Under national director Holger Cahill, it was one of five Federal Project Number One projects sponsored by the Works Progress Administratio ...

in the 1930s.

Early life and education

Jónína Sæmundsdóttir was born on 22 August 1892 in the

Fljótshlíð Fljótshlíð () is a rural area in the municipality of Rangárþing eystra in Southern Region, Iceland. Before the formation of Rangárþing eystra in 2002, Fljótshlíð was its own municipality called Fljótshlíðarhreppur. '' Fljót'' (geni ...

region in

South Iceland Southern Region ( , ) is a region of Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally an ...

, near

Hvolsvöllur Hvolsvöllur () is a town in the south of Iceland about 106 km to the east of Reykjavík. Overview The name of the town literally translates to "Hillfield". ( in the genitive case) is an archaic form of the modern Icelandic word , meaning ...

. She was raised on the farm ''Nikulásarhús'', but the family moved to the city of Reykjavík when she was a teenager. Saemundsson attended the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts () has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Danish Academy of Portraiture, Sculpture, and Architecture in Cope ...

Charlottenborg Palace Charlottenborg Palace () is a large town mansion located on the corner of Kongens Nytorv and Nyhavn in Copenhagen, Denmark. Originally built as a residence for Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, it has served as the base of the Royal Danish Academy ...

, studying under artists Julius Schultz and Einar Ultzon-Frank. Nína was engaged to footballer Gunnar Thorsteinsson, the younger brother of the artist

Muggur Guðmundur Pétursson Thorsteinsson (5 September 1891, Bíldudalur – 27 July 1924, Søllerød), better known as Muggur, was an Icelandic painter, graphic artist, author and film actor. Biography Muggur was born in Bíldudalur, Iceland. His ...

, from 1918 until his death from

pulmonary tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

in May 1921. After graduating in 1920, she traveled around Europe. Sæmundsson initially moved to New York City in 1926.

Art career

By the mid-1930s, Sæmundsson moved to the

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

area of Los Angeles. For many years she lived with screenwriter

Polly James Pauline James (formerly Devaney; born 8 July 1941) is an English former actress who had a career in theatre, film, television, and radio. Early life Pauline James was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, as Pauline Devaney. Her father had managed a ...

on Camrose Drive near the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urban park, public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on ...

. She taught classes at Henry Lovins'

Hollywood Art Center School Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

. Saemundsson became popular as a portrait artist for celebrities. Actress

Hedy Lamarr Hedy Lamarr (; born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler; November 9, 1914 January 19, 2000) was an Austrian-born American actress and inventor. After a brief early film career in Czechoslovakia, including the controversial erotic romantic drama '' Ecstasy ...

posed for a bust sculpture by Sæmundsson, which was displayed at the

1939 New York World's Fair The 1939 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1939–1940 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York, United States. The fair included exhibitio ...

with the Swedish American Art Society of the West and it won a first place award. Sæmundsson worked as a set decorator building sculptures for the

Albert Lewin Albert Lewin (September 23, 1894 – May 9, 1968) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Personal life Lewin was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Newark, New Jersey. He earned a master's degree at Harvard University ...

film, ''

The Moon and Sixpence ''The Moon and Sixpence'' is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham, first published on 15 April 1919. It is told in episodic form by a first-person narrator providing a series of glimpses into the mind and soul of the central character, Charles Stri ...

'' (1942). She spent the last years of her life painting. In 1955, she moved back to Iceland. She died 29 January 1965.

Public art work

Sæmundsdóttir has many public art works, this list is by ascending date. * ''Mother's love'' statue (1928), Mæðragarður (Mothers Garden), Reykjavík, Iceland * ''The Spirit of Achievement'' statue (1931), a thin and tall winged nymph, placed over the entrance of the Waldorf Astoria Hostel, New York City, New York, United States * ''

Prometheus Bringing Fire to Earth ''Prometheus Bringing Fire to Earth'' is an outdoor sculpture by Icelandic artist Nína Sæmundsson, installed in MacArthur Park, in Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalitie ...

'' statue (1935), an 8 foot bronze of Prometheus raising a torch to a globe of the world,

MacArthur Park MacArthur Park (originally Westlake Park) is a park dating back to the late 19th century in the Westlake, Los Angeles, Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. In the early 1940s, it was renamed after General Douglas MacArthur, and la ...

, Los Angeles, California, United States. This work was created as part of

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

. * Leif Erikson bust (1936), intersection of Fern Dell Drive and Los Feliz Boulevard entrance to

Griffith Park Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains, in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park includes popular attractions such as the Los Angeles Zoo, the Autry Museum of the Amer ...

, Los Angeles, California, United States * ''The Mermaid'' statue (also known as Hafmeyjan, 1966),

Tjörnin Tjörnin () is a small, prominent lake in central Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. Most visitors to the city pass along its shore, as it is situated in the city centre next to the Reykjavik City Hall and several museums. ''Tjörnin'' means "t ...

lake, Reykjavík, Iceland

References

External links

*
Nina Saemundsson (1892–1965)
on Artnet.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Saemundsson, Nína 1892 births 1965 deaths Nína Saemundsson Nína Saemundsson Nína Saemundsson Artists from Los Angeles Artists from New York City Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Federal Art Project artists

Early life and education

Art career

Public art work

See also

References

External links