Halldór Pétursson

Halldór Pétursson (1916 – 1977) was an Icelandic artist and illustrator and founder of the Icelandic Drawers‘ Association.

Halldór began drawing at a young age and soon became known for his works. He studied privately with painters Guðmundur Thorsteinsson (better known as Muggur) and Júlíana Sveinsdóttir. In 1935 Halldór graduated from Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík secondary school. From there he went to study at The School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen and graduated as a commercial artist in 1938. After that he worked as a drawer and an commercial designer for various projects.

In 1942 Halldór went to study further at Minneapolis School of Art and Art Students League in New York. Finishing his higher education in 1945, he afterwards worked mainly as an illustrator and cartoonist, paving the way for later cartoonists in Iceland.

In 1976, the children‘s book Helgi Explores the World was published. Author Njörður P. Njarðvík was asked to write a story, using Halldór‘s already-existing drawings as inspiration. The book‘s publication is considered a turning point in Icelandic children‘s literature, where text and illustrations were equally emphasised.

During his carreer, Halldór has illustrated numerous books and other literary works and regularly illustrated Spegillinn and Vikan magazines. Some of his most famous works include a comic strip of Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky‘s world championship chess match in 1972, and Cod War comics which appeared in papers and magazines all over the world. Halldór was also very passionate about horses and horse drawings were one of his trademarks.