The painting “Hvítasunnudagur” (“Whitsunday”) by Jóhannes Kjarval was sold in an auction in Copenhagen yesterday for DKK 1.3 million (EUR 174,000, USD 231,000) and is the most expensive art work in Iceland’s history.
It was bought by Jóhann Ágúst Hansen, who works for Gallerí Fold in Reykjavík, on behalf of a private collector who would not be named. Hansen told Fréttabladid the painting would be put on display in the future, but not at a museum.
The auction room at Bruun Rasmussen in Copenhagen was full yesterday and many made bids were made for the painting, which is considered unique as it bears witness to Kjarval’s experiments with cubism.
The final bid, in addition to tariffs, was ISK 25 million (EUR 286,000, USD 378,000), tenfold the original auction price.
“Hvítasunnudagur” was painted by Kjarval in Denmark between 1917 and 1919. It is oil on canvas, 100 x 113 cm in size, which is unusually large for such an early painting by Kjarval. The painting was recently discovered in Denmark.
Click here to read more about the painting and Kjarval.
