Nína Tryggvadóttir

Nína Tryggvadóttir (March 16, 1913 – June 18, 1968) was born Jónína Tryggvadóttir in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland.

Nína Tryggvadóttir is one of Iceland's most important abstract expressionist artists and one of very few Icelandic female artists of her generation. Mainly working in painting she also did paper collage, stained glass work, mosaic and more. She frequently based her compositions on nature where Icelandic landscape and the Nordic light played an important role.

Nína started studying art in Iceland and moved to Copenhagen in 1935 where she studied art at the Royal Academy of Art. After graduating from the Academy in 1939 she spent time studying in Paris and was quite taken by the city. In 1942 she moved to New York City to study at the Art Students League of New York and develop her art further. There she took an active part in the city’s art scene.

In 1949 she married Alfred L. Copley (alter ego: L. Alcopley). Later that year she went to Iceland for a short visit. There she was informed that she was not able to return to the United States because she was suspected of being a Communist sympathizer.

During her exile from the United States she lived in various places in Europe, Iceland being one of them. Copley joined her in Paris where they lived for a few years together with their daughter, born 1951. During those years Nina kept on making and practicing her art, exhibiting in many places and traveling through Europe. They returned to New York City in 1959 where Nína continued to work on her art and exhibiting mostly in Europe. During all her years abroad Nína kept on exhibiting in Iceland and was her input very valuable to the art society in Iceland.