Unveiled in 2019, the bronze statue of Elinborg Lützen holds a special place in Faroese history as the first statue of a woman in the Faroe Islands. The artwork was created by renowned Faroese sculptor Hans Pauli Olsen to mark what would have been the artist’s 100th birthday.

Elinborg Lützen was born in Klaksvík in 1919 and became the first and, for many years, the only graphic artist in the Faroe Islands. She studied in Copenhagen but was stranded there during World War II, like many other Faroese at the time.

Though briefly married to the famous painter Sámal Joensen-Mikines, Elinborg chose a solitary and devoted life in art. After their separation in 1952, her artistic career truly flourished. She became internationally known, exhibiting her work in countries like the USA, the UK, Norway, and Denmark.

She specialized in linocut prints, a technique that became her signature. Elinborg was honored with several prestigious awards, including being the first woman to receive the Faroese Parliament’s annual honorary grant in 1978, and the Tórshavn Children’s Book Award in 1980.

For decades, she lived and worked in her childhood home in Klaksvík, located just below where the statue now stands. The home, known locally as Faktorshúsini, is a part of her lasting legacy.

Elinborg Lützen passed away in 1995, but her impact on Faroese art and culture continues to be felt.