orn 1964 in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he grew up in a musical home, therefore from his childhood, Stefan Blöndal was always surrounded by art.

From his 14th year on, Stefan Blöndal began his artistic career, creating pencil, ink, and charcoal drawings in a more determined manner in the drawing class at the famous danish museum the Glyptotek. And already this year, he was a prize-winner in a drawing competition in Denmark. "Ever since he began working seriously, this danish artist has", as art critic Alexandra Anderson-Spivy wrote, "resolutely - and consistently - rejected the theoretical conventions of much contemporary art. He has, as they say, "marched to his own drummer"".
 
During these years, his other passion was birds of prey. He even got an education as a falconer in England and had his own peregrine falcon at his home. And naturally, his big detailled drawings reflected this interest.

At the age of 20, Stefan Blöndal met his future wife, Nina Kavtaradze, a celebrated Russian pianist from Moscow, who has had an enormous influence on his pictures, both as a model and a critic. As a matter of  fact, it was she, who set him off with oilpainting, that opened up an entirely new dimension to his solid background as a black-and-white artist. 

In 1987, Stefan Blöndal had his first exhibition "with a collection of powerful paintings" - (as a critic wrote) - in Copenhagen at the renowned exhibition hall "Den Frie", (The Independent). Since then, he has participated in numerous group- and solo exhibitions in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France, Monaco, the United Arab Emirates and England. In France he has received six medals, a "Coup Art et Création" and one "Award of the Public", at international censored exhibitions in Nice, St.-Jean Cap Ferrat, Vittel, Nancy and Sarrebourg. 

Art collector Leo Strauss writes: "The artist shows a distinctive development towards certain ideals. His creativeness divides into periods, each characterized by a clear style - from a natural figurative interest, first for the portrait and nudes, often elaborated in demonized, eroticized female shape, through free, intuitive artistic display, to mature fascination of the shapes multiplicity and colour combinations unlimited resources. Through playful fantasy, richness of the senses and creativity Stefan Blöndal conveys the gradual melting together of the philosophy of love versus the magnetism of lust, where light, shadow and movement, integrated into each other, creates his nonfigurative genre, characterized by bravura of the brushstroke, enthusiasm and zeal".

Stefan Blöndal is represented in Denmark by Galerie Helth in Copenhagen.

 

Supplementary information

Stefan:

Name of greek origin - Stephanos - meaning a crown or garland.

Blöndal: Icelandic familyname, which origins from the valley Blöndudalur in Húnavatnssýsla in Northern Iceland.
Other artists in the family: The Icelandic painter Gunnlaugur Blöndal (1893-1962).
Birthday: September 30th
Residence: Copenhagen, Denmark
Princely support: In 1997 Stefan Blöndal had a solo-exhibition in Monte-Carlo. Before the opening there was sent posters for advertising the exhibition with a reproduction of the painting "Ma femme", but the gallery did not accept the poster, as they found it too indecent. The help came from an unexpected source: HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco expressed to the gallery his unreserved enthusiasm towards the painting and told that everyone in the palace have had much fun seing it. The posters were saved and immediately put into use all over the french riviera.
Art collection:

The painting "Ma femme" was shortly after bought by a member of the famous banker family Rothschild.        

 

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