Jónas Hallgrímsson. Statue by the sculptor Einar Jónsson (1874-1954). Einar's statue stands in Band Shell Park (Hljómskálagarður) in Reykjavík, directly east of The Pond. It is a sentimental and undistinguished work in which Jónas tilts precariously to his right (!) and clasps a nosegay of flowers in his left hand. It was the sculptor's first publicly commissioned work in Iceland and he was forced — much against his will — to tailor it to the taste and wishes of the sponsoring committee. Some forty years later, in 1945, he secured his revenge by creating another and much more spiritualized image of Jónas — "In Memory of the Poet" ("Í minningar skáldsins") — which can be seen in Hnitbjörg, the museum in Reykjavík devoted to Einar's memory. (See Einar Jónsson myndhöggvari [Hafnarfjörður: Skuggsjá, 1982], p. 46. For photographs of the two statues see pp. 26 and 192.)

Source: Photo Dick Ringler.