I read about the Blonde Miss World 1951 exhibition in “What’s on in Reykjavik”. It was said that it  explored the idea and ideology behind the stereotype of the blonde, which sounded intriguing enough to check it out. 

 The exhibition took place in Kjarvalsstaðir branch of the Reykjavik Art Museum. It was my first exposure to the art of Birgir Snaæbjörn Birgisson and it was full of surprises. When I glanced in the hall for the first time, I thought “how strange, there is nothing there, only white canvasses on the wall.”  I was so sure of this that I proceed checking out another small exhibition in the corridor.  Then, too embarassed to ask where was this much talked about the Blonde exhibition, I stepped into the hall.  I stood there for a second and suddenly images started to emerge from seeminly black paintings. I was surrounded by smiling, blue-eyed blondes, almost invisible in the fog of white.  All the portraits were exactly the same size, had white background, all used only the palest shades of grey, yellow and white.  The effect was utterly fascinating, though chilling, one cannot help but feel slightly uncomfortable under their piercing stares. The exhibition pictured the portraits of the winners of Miss World beauty pageants since the competition was launced in 1951. 

 The artist, Birgir Snaæbjörn Birgisson, is known for his style of painting on the white canvasses with pale transparent colours and also for painting only blondes.  His other series include “Blonde Nurses Series” and “Blond Heads – Nordic Race”. 

Besides Iceland the artist has held exhibitions in England, Holland and the USA, where he caused stir.  The essence of the artist’s work was captured best by Mika Hanulla, the curator of the exhibit, “Now you see it, now you don’t.  Now you think you know it, now you don’t.”

I don’t know what is behind his “absence of colour” and loyalty to blondes – spiritual or racial pureness – but it was the most memorable exhibition of December for me.