Magnús Pálsson

Date of birth

1929

Country of residence

Iceland

Country of origin

Iceland

Recording

21/05/2012

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Magnús Pálsson is one of Iceland’s premier artists; a national treasure. In 1978 he was instrumental in founding The Living Art Museum (Nýló).

Sculptor, sound poet, performer and inspirational teacher, Magnús comes from a strong Fluxus background, where he and his clan forged the beginnings of conceptualism and concrete poetry. As a sculptor, Magnús dealt with enigma and touch by making casts of negative spaces and trapping ephemeral moments in solidifying plaster. His signature piece from that time is a cast of the space between the three wheels of a Sikorsky helicopter and its landing field, seconds before it actually touches down. Made in 1976, this work was exhibited in Venice in 1980 when Magnús represented Iceland at the 37th Biennale. Gradually he moved away from solid material into the more fluid realm of sound and action where recently he has made works for choirs, JCB earth diggers, ghosts and children.

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