On April 9, the National Library opened the exhibition Sjónarfur by printmaker Sigmundur Guðmundsson.
Sigmundur Guðmundsson, a printmaker, was born on October 18, 1853 in Ólafsdalur in Dalasýsla County. Sigmundur played a major role in the improvements that took place in printing in Iceland before the turn of the century, 1900. He was considered the most artistic and tasteful printer in the country at that time.
In 1871, Sigmundur began his apprenticeship as a printer with Einar Þórðarson, a printer at the Landsprentsmiðjan in Reykjavík. In the autumn of 1876, Sigmundur was sent to Copenhagen to buy equipment and type for the newly established Ísafoldarprentsmiðja, where he was then the head printer for almost a decade. Later, Sigmundur worked for the Félagsprentsmiðja alongside his work as an agent for Vesturfari. In the spring of 1883, Sigmundur procured a press in Scotland and type for Sigmundur Guðmundsson's Prentsmiðja, which he ran with his family for the next few years. His choice of typefaces and printing ornaments was renowned and he held letterpress printing in high regard. Sigfús Eymundsson, a book publisher, bought Sigmundur's print shop when he went to America for about a year to work as an agent for Vesturfari. After returning home, Sigmundur returned to work for Ísafoldarprentsmiðja in part. In 1896, Sigmundur was still planning to procure a new high-speed press for the Ísafold printing house and a kerosene engine to move it instead of hand power, the first machine of its kind to come to this country. It is believed that his work on the kerosene engine had an impact on his fatal illness, as Sigmundur died of pulmonary embolism in 1898. The exhibition at the National Library includes a sample of Sigmundur's printmaking, which Unnar Örn, a visual artist, and Guðmundur Oddur Magnússon (Goddur), a research professor at the Iceland Academy of the Arts, have compiled. Rannís funded the project.