Halldór Einarsson was born on the Brandshús - farm in South Iceland on October 15th 1893. His parents were Einar Einarsson and Thórunn Halldórsdóttir.

"I always wanted to learn woodcarving, but it was very difficult, there was only one workshop and every position was filled. I waited for five years to get a place with the carver Stefán Eiríksson where I studied for four years and took an exam in drawing and woodcarving." (From an interview by Páll Lýðsson in March 1975)

Halldór moved to America in 1922, initially to his brother in Manitoba, then to Chicago where he worked most of his life in a furniture factory.

Halldór decided early that he would not seek honour and reputation as an artist. He would rather carve roses and decorations as a tradesman. Halldór did not call his work art, but said that it was made to pass time.

"The depression came and went. Then came the war and around that time I got married to a Polish woman named Josefine Jablonsky and we lived in Chicago for 10 years. Then my wife died. Shortly before that I had the chance to buy a small piece of land in a village 25 miles from Chicago and often imagined that I would die there. I never thought of going to Iceland, just lived as a loner out in these woods in a cottage on that little strip of land. I lived there for twenty years, alone with the magnificent nature." (From an interview by Páll Lýðsson in March 1975)

While in Chicago, Halldór was brought to the attention of Chester Hjörtur Thordarson, inventor and businessman and subsequently worked for him for three years around 1930. Thordarson owned a big part of Rock Island in Lake Michigan. Among the many things he left there was his library and oak furniture carved by Halldór in the Viking Hall. A book on the carvings was published in 1999. See more about the carvings on Rock Island.

Halldór returned to Iceland in 1965 and donated his pieces to the Árnessýsla Museum in Selfoss, a small town about 50 kilometers east of Reykjavík. Halldór died in Reykjavík in 1977. See more about the donation.

Halldór's works are based on different ideas. In some you can see the sorrow of the immigrant who is looking back to his island of sagas. Others are influenced by symbolism of diverse cultures and mysticism, favoured by artists such as "The Sevens" in Chicago and is also evident in the works of sculptor Einar Jónsson much admired by Halldór. Halldór was very creative in expressing different symbolism in woodcarvings. His work was sometimes very sharp on social or political matters and then suddenly turned very humorous.
Front page // Biography // Carvings on Rock Island // Donation to Árnes County // Examples of works
Árnes County Art Museum // Íslenska