Icelandic artist/farmer Samúel Jónsson (1884-1969) lived alone next to the nearly uninhabited valley of Selárdalur for most of his life. As someone who pretty much despises all human beings, this sounds like a dream come true. Lucky for me (if only I could afford air fare), Jónsson’s artwork is preserved in what is probably the westernmost outsider environment in Europe. We’re talking about the remotest part of remote, Iceland’s Westfjords. Like most outsider artists, Jónsson was self-taught but he only realised his dream of becoming an artist as an older man, making concrete sculptures of sand from the nearby beach sometime in the 1950s. One depicts Leif Eiriksson as he spots the coast of Vinland (North America), while another is a replica of the lion fountain in Granada, Spain. Jónsson’s sculpture garden is surrounded by two cartoonish buildings he constructed on his own: a chapel with a handmade altar and a museum that houses his paintings. When Jónsson passed away in 1969, his works were left to no one but the harsh climate. Fortunately, independent and government organizations have been working together since the 1990s to preserve the site, and hope to create an artistic complex, a visitor centre, exposition facilities, as well as apartments/studios where artists in residence can stay and work.
Samúel Jónsson’s sculpture garden, Iceland
