Sámal Joensen-Mikines – Always the Sea in Heerenveen

Museum Belvédère in Heerenveen presents the first solo exhibition in the Netherlands of the work of Sámal Joensen-Mikines (1906-1979), born in the Faroe Islands. The artist worked primarily on the island of Mykines – after which he was named – and drew inspiration from his immediate surroundings: the sea, the rugged hilly landscape, the bare slopes, and small fishing villages. His work lies somewhere between Impressionism and Expressionism and focuses mainly on light and space. On view until February 8, 2026. Do you collect Faroe Islands?

Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands (Faroese: Føroyar; Danish: Færøerne) are an archipelago located in the North Atlantic Ocean in the triangle of Scotland, Norway, and Iceland. The archipelago is an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark, which is not part of the European Union. The name Faroe Islands probably means Sheep Islands (Danish: får means sheep; øer islands). There is a population of 54.664 (Jan. 1, 2022), of whom just under 40 percent live in the capital, Tórshavn. The local North Germanic dialects, related to Icelandic, have been standardized into Faroese.

 

Geography

The Faroe Islands consist of eighteen large islands with a combined surface area of ​​1.393 km² and a total coastline of 1.117 km. There are also 761 small islands and rock formations. The islands feature a mountainous landscape with fjords and steep cliffs rising from the sea. Deep waters with often strong currents lie between the islands. The islands have a number of lakes, of which Sørvágsvatn is the largest. The highest point is Slættaratindur on the island of Eysturoy, at 882 m. Due to the rugged landscape, connecting the villages was difficult for a long time, but this has been largely resolved by a number of tunnels and bridges. Thanks to the Eysturoy Tunnel, which is over 11 km long and opened in December 2020, travel time between the capital Tórshavn, on the island of Streymoy, and Strendur on the island of Eysturoy, was reduced from forty to seven minutes. The Faroe Islands have a mild maritime climate due to the North Atlantic Current.

The capital, Tórshavn, with 19.282 inhabitants (2005), is located on the largest island, Streymoy. This island is connected to Strendur and Runavik on the second largest island, Eysturoy, at Oyrarbakki by a bridge and, since 2020, at Tórshavn by a tunnel. Another somewhat larger town is Klaksvík, with 4664 inhabitants (2005), on Borðoy. The island of Borðoy is connected to Viðoy and Kunoy by causeways. Together with Kalsoy, Svínoy, and Fugloy, these three islands form the North Islands. The only airport in the Faroe Islands, Vágar Airport, is located on Vágar. Previously, air travelers wishing to reach Tórshavn had to take a ferry, but since the completion of the Vágar Tunnel in 2002, there has been a direct road connection. The westernmost island of Mykines is famous for its population of puffins. Incidentally, the entire archipelago has a rich birdlife (about 200 different species): the steep, rocky coast makes the nests inaccessible to predators.

Suðuroy is the name of the slightly remote southern island of the archipelago. In 1742, the Dutch ship Westerbeek of the Dutch East India Company, loaded with tea and spices, ran aground on the cliffs here and was smashed against the steep western face of the island, capsized, and subsequently sank. Captain Herman Schutte had been blown considerably off course by the persistent fog. Nevertheless, 81 people on board were rescued and eventually returned to the Netherlands after nine months. Ship's doctor Joseph Gewording van der Schild stayed behind: in the meantime, he had married a Faroese woman and been appointed as the country's surgeon. On February 19, 2016, two Faroese stamps were unveiled in Rotterdam Westerbeek presented in the presence of Faroese descendants of the Dutch crew.  

Mykines

Mykines is the westernmost of the 18 islands of the Faroe Islands. It is part of the Sýsla Vágar region and the Sørvágs kommuna municipality. There are two mountains on the island: Knúkur (560 meters) and Árnafjall (350 meters). The name of the island is said to be derived from the Celtic muc-innis, meaning “pig island.” This possibly refers to whales, as muc-mhara means “sea sows” in Gaelic. Mykines is a sought-after destination for bird lovers. Large numbers of puffins and gannets breed there. The latter are found mainly on Mykineshólmur, a small island off the west coast of Mykines, which is connected to the main island by a narrow pedestrian bridge. Both islands are separated by the 35-meter-deep gorge Hólmgjógv.

The only village on the island is also named Mykines and is located on the northwest coast. It has 20 inhabitants (January 2006). In the summer, the population is significantly higher when families originally from the island spend their holidays here. The village is picturesque due to the predominantly black-tarred wooden houses with turf roofs. There is a small church, a school, and a post office, but all supplies must be brought in from the other islands.

Many tourists visit Mykines and then mainly come to the lighthouse of Mykineshólmur off. There is one guesthouse, Krístianshús, which also includes a primitive campsite. In addition, vacant houses are rented out to tourists. The ferry service from Sørvágur on Vágar to Mykines operates from May through October, weather permitting. It is possible that the island may be inaccessible for days at a time. In winter, the boat does not sail or sails irregularly. For several years, the Faroese airline Atlantic Airways has provided a helicopter service from the airport on VágarThis helicopter service is also dependent on weather conditions and reservations are required. On September 26, 1970, a Fokker F27 crashed on the island. In dense fog, the aircraft slammed into the flanks of Mount Knúkur, while the pilot thought he was approaching Vágar. Eight people on board lost their lives, and 26 were brought to safety in a difficult rescue operation. The wreckage was later buried by the islanders at the foot of the mountain.

On Mykinese stands a “petrified forest”. This “forest” consists of 55-meter-high basalt columns. Legend has it that in the distant past, a forest stood on Mykinese. The King of Norway wanted to levy taxes on the islanders because they possessed a forest. The islanders lied and said that there was no forest on their island at all. As punishment, the forest turned to stone.  

Samal Joensen-Mikines (1906 – 1979)

Sámal Joensen-Mikines (1906, Mykines – 1979, Copenhagen) was a Faroese Expressionist painter. Mikines is known for his depictions of the Faroese landscape and folk life. The relationship between nature and man plays a central role in his art. His dramatic and colorful style is inspired by painters such as Edvard Munch, Eugène Delacroix, and El Greco.

Between 1928 and 1934, he studied at the painting school of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. His teachers included Professors Ejnar Nielsen and Aksel Jørgensen. He made his debut as a painter at the Autumn Artists' Exhibition in 1931. He also participated in the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition in 1933. Between 1934 and 1938, he was back in the Faroe Islands, and in 1937, he made study trips to Bergen, Oslo, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Paris, and Amsterdam. From 1940, he was a member of the artists' association De Decembristen, Den Frie Udstilling.

He was the first professional, internationally recognized painter from the Faroe Islands. His works were exhibited in Tórshavn, Helsinki, Gothenburg, Rome, Paris, Oslo, Copenhagen, and Reykjavik. From 1953 he was a permanent resident of Copenhagen, but Mykines usually visited every summer. Mikines was known for his emphasis on the dramatic power and movement of the subject, and for his strong use of color. His expressive and identity-creating art held great significance for later generations of artists in the Faroe Islands and Denmark. He was the son of farmer Johannes Frederik Joensen (died in 1934) and his wife Anna Katrine Abrahamsen (died in 1954) on Mykines. He was baptized as Samuel Elias Frederik Joensen. In 1943, he formally changed his name to Sámal Joensen-Mikines, which adopted the name of the island and corresponded to the Faroese spelling. He married the Faroese graphic artist Elinborg Lützen (1919-1995) in 1944, but the marriage was dissolved in 1952. In 1954, he remarried the Danish Karen Nielsen (1919). During his lifetime, Mykines resided alternately on the Atlantic archipelago and in Denmark, where he was regarded as one of the most important artists of his generation. The exhibition at Museum Belvédère primarily features landscapes and seascapes that bear a resemblance to the work of Northern Dutch landscape painters represented in the museum's collection. A Dutch-language monograph is being published accompanying the exhibition. Works by Sámal Joensen-Mikines are held in the National Museum of Fine Arts in Copenhagen (SMK) and all other major museums in Denmark. The largest museum collection of works by Mikines is located in Faroese Art Museum, the National Museum of the Faroe Islands in Tórshavn.   Source: Museum Belvédère.  

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From May 7 to 10, 2025, a delegation of approximately twenty Frisian representatives visited the Faroe Islands. Led by King's Commissioner Arno Brok, the trip focused on studying the successful language and cultural policy of the archipelago, where some 60.000 people speak the Faroese language. The delegation consisted of aldermen and representatives from the Frisian cultural sector, including the Fryske Akademy and the Afûk Foundation. Director Han Steenbruggen represented Museum Belvédère during the trip: “The further north we went, the more everything around us misted up and forms were reduced to vague planes and veils of color. Still further on, a pale sun suddenly broke open the sky to sweep a beam of light across the sea to the island on the other side. Sifted greens, blues, and ochres. Mikines’ paintings are hidden here in every view.” Jan Ybema wrote an article about the trip in the Friesch Dagblad: https://www.museumbelvedere.nl/media/filer_public/a3/dc/a3dce376-05ab-4e73-ba03-7f6888ed90a6/frd-20250516-01002002_naar_de_faeroer_om_mikines_te_zien.pdf Sámal Joensen-Mikines – Always the Sea, Museum Belvédère, until 8 February 2026: https://www.museumbelvedere.nl/nl/nu_te_zien/grote-zaal/   Faroe stamps: https://en.stamps.fo/ Previous museum blogs: https://www.postzegelblog.nl/tag/made-in-holland/