Arnor Bieltvedt Biography

Mid-career Icelandic artist Arnor Bielvedt works in a unique, neo-romantic expressionist style.

Raised in Iceland and Germany,he moved to the United States, eager to experience new cultures. He studied at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., where he received degrees in Marketing and Managerial Technology. At that point Arnor decided to devote his life to art. His love for art had started surfacing with greater strength than ever before and Arnor saw it his calling to become an artist.

With great joy and enthusiasm he started his studies over again, gaining a B.F.A. degree in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence and a M.F.A. degree in Painting from Washington University in St. Louis, MO.

After the completion of his studies Arnor served for seven years as Art Department Head at Logos School, a school for at risk students, in St. Louis, MO.

In the summer of 2001 he accepted the position of Art Department Head, Art Instructor and Gallery Director at North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka, IL.

In the last decade Arnor's work has been shown extensively in the USA and Europe and he has enjoyed representation by many reputable galleries around the world (including Gallery Commeter in Hamburg, Germany, founded in 1825).

Arnor's paintings reside in private and public collections in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Selected Exhibitions

2005 - "Ljos og Litberar", The Icelandic Graphic Assoiciation, Reykjavik, Iceland - "Ljos og Litberar", The Icelandic Graphic Assoiciation, Reykjavik, - Portraits and Landscapes, Lorimier Gallery, Cape Girardeau, MO - Facets, Almquist Gallery, Winnetka, IL

2004 - Still Life: Contemporary Visions, Anne Loucks Gallery, Glencoe, IL - Biennial International Juried Exhibition, Brad Cooper Gallery, Tampa, Florida - The OCF Annual Art Exhibition, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Chicago - Towards Abstraction, Indian Trails Public Library, Wheeling, IL

2003 - Three Artists, Monarch Gallery, St. Louis, MO - Neutral Current, Ward-Nasse Gallery, NY, NY - ArtDimesions 2nd Anniversary, St. Louis, MO

2002 - Holiday Treasures, Anne Loucks Gallery, Glencoe, Illinois - Live From Chicago, ATC Gallery, Chicago, Illinois - Faces, 3rd Coast Cafe, Chicago, Illinois

2001 - Four Directions, John Almquist Gallery, Winnetka, Illinois - Premiere/Art Dimensions, St. Louis, Missouri

2000 - Viking Celebration, The Residence of the Icelandic Embassy, Washington, D.C.

1999 - Color and Steel, Forissant Civic Center, Florissant, Missouri

1998 - Women and Flowers, Loftkastalinn, Reykjavik, Iceland - Icelandic Art, Gallery Kunst, Edinburgh, Scotland - Fishing for Flowers, Coffee Cartel, St. Louis, Missouri

1997 - Portraits of Jane, Canton Area Arts Council, Canton, Missouri - Introduction, Arnor, Culver Stockton College, Canton, Missouri - Where the Flowers Go, Art Attack Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri - Florals, Coleman Gallery, Albuquerque, New Mexico - Winter Invitational, Petrides Studio Gallery, Cherry Hill, New Jersey

1996 - 175th Anniversary, Galerie Commeter, Hamburg, Germany - Still Lives, Eleven East Ashland, Phoenix, Arizona - Sunflowers, Gallery B.A.I., Barcelona, Spain - Third Annual Small Works Invitational, Blue Mountain Gallery, New York

Artist's Statement

After exploring various styles and philosophies of painting for over a decade I suddenly feel like I have found my home or my style of expression. Iceland, the island in the North Atlantic where I grew up has returned to my consciousness and imagination and in the process opened up many doors. The beauty of Iceland’s atmospheric, surreal landscape, where stillness prevails but the heartbeat of living nature can also be felt and heard is an ideal setting for strong color expression. The most perfect natural carrier of color is the flower and I feel the attraction it has to the space, soil and air of these still, Nordic landscapes. This is unspoiled nature and reflects the unspoiled pure aspect of humanity; probably something worth seeking.... Arnor Bieltvedt