Lothar Grund was born in Schwerin, Germany, on October 22nd, 1923. In 1950 he moved to Iceland in search of new opportunities. Shortly after that he met actress Anna Þorbjörg Halldórsdóttir. They married on July 25th, 1952, and had three sons: Pétur Adolf Garðar, Atli Halldór og Alfreð. The family moved to Germany at the end of the 1950s and settled in Hamburg. Lothar died on November 15th, 1995. From 1951 to 1958 Lothar worked on more than fifty theatrical productions in Iceland. They were of all shapes and sizes, for various theatre companies, both amateur and professional. His ambition, experience and artistry had unmeasured influence on Icelandic scenography and costume design. Lothar’s private archive (LMÍ 2022/6) spanning his work period within the Icelandic performing arts is preserved at the Theatre Museum of Iceland. The collection contains more than three hundred stage and costume designs. The collection also includes several drawings and paper figurines for Richard Wagner’s Das Rheingold, a project never realised in Iceland. In celebration of his centenary the National and University Library of Iceland and the Theatre Museum are exhibiting a selection of his drawings, placing them in context of Icelandic performing arts during the 1950s. Three performances staged at the National Theatre of Iceland will be given special attention being some of his most extraordinary work, despite being vastly different and met with very differing reactions from audiences and theatre critics alike.

Brochure in Icelandic with a summary in English and German

Exhibition banners

Delivery of drawings 2022