The Musician
The artwork The Musician by Ólöf Pálsdóttir is located in front of Harpa's main entrance. In the picture, you can see Mrs. Pálsdóttir standing next to the work.
The Musician by Ólöf Pálsdóttir (1920-2018) from the year 1974.
The cellist Erling Blöndal Bengtsson modelled for Ólöf when she was creating the sculpture, they agreed that he should play while she worked. Ólöf claimed she’d never enjoyed her work as much before or after, as not all models could give so much of themselves while the work was ongoing.
Ólöf was always preoccupied with the human body and her simple and expressive sculptures were exceptional. Erlingur sits and plays his cello. The work is realistic, only the strings are missing.
Originally, The Musician was installed at Hagatorg in 1977. At the time, Háskólabíó was the country’s main concert hall and the residence of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra. The statue was transferred when the orchestra moved to Harpa, and on the 4th of September 2014, it was installed in front of Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre at Reykjavík Harbour.
