Pétur Thomsen is the 2025 Artist of the Year

18.03.2025

The Icelandic Art Prize 2025 was awarded on March 20 in Reykjavík. The awards provide recognition to outstanding visual artists and exhibitions.

Pétur Thomsen, Photo: Sigurður Thomsen.

Pétur Thomsen: Settlement, 2024. Hafnarborg. Photo: Pétur Thomsen.

Pétur Thomsen is the 2025 Artist of the Year.

The jury considers Settlement an exceptionally well executed exhibition, from the production to the presentation of the works, which includes a profound awareness of and concern for nature. With a deep knowledge of the photographic medium, Pétur Thomsen captures in his works an essence and vision that, through the exhibition, transform into a compelling dialogue with the viewer.

Photo: Helena Margrét Jónsdóttir

Helena Margrét Jónsdóttir: Frosted Petals, 2024. Photo: Helena Margrét Jónsdóttir

Helena Margrét Jónsdóttir received the Motivational Awards 2025

The jury finds that Helena Margrét Jónsdóttir’s paintings are intriguing and set an interesting tone in the art scene. Her works are refined and serene, with an innovative undertone that activates the imagination and transports the viewer into a dreamlike world. Through her practice, Helena Margrét convincingly removes the veil from the traditional manifestation of everyday objects in painting.

Erró, Photo: Saga Sig

Erró, Ghost Rider, 1985, Reykjavík Art Museum

The Icelandic Visual Arts Council’s Honorary Award 2024 goes to Erró, also known as Guðmundur Guðmundsson. Born in Ólafsvík in 1932, Erró ranks among Iceland´s foremost visual artists.

His work has won local and international acclaim in a career spanning over six decades. Erró's work is known for its visual richness. He has been described as a “predator” and a “voracious consumer” of visual material, which refers to his working method of using images of all kinds from various cultures that he collects, categorises, and reuses in a non-hierarchical arrangement.

Erró has a unique eye for composition, but he rejects the idea of the artist as a genius and original creator. His original radicalism lies in the desire to take visual art down from the pedestal of high art by using popular imagery. He was an artist of his time, yet he never ceases to redefine himself, until this day.