The former sculpture professor was a founding faculty member of the School of Visual Arts and Design
Former longtime UCF faculty member Johann Eyfells passed away on Tuesday, December 3, at the age of 96. Eyfells was one of the founding faculty of what was formerly the art department of FTU and was a major influence on a generation of artists. He worked at UCF for 30 years before his retirement in 1999.
Former studio art professor and founding SVAD faculty member, Steve D. Lotz reminisces:
“Johann Eyfells contributed to the UCF visual art program and its students with an enormous energy for the entirety of his career. One event as he and I were building FTU’s visual arts program stands out as a perfect example. In 1968 he and I were the totality of the visual arts faculty. Our only space on campus in which to teach was a small bungalow with a low ceiling. Funds for building larger spaces for sculpture and painting courses were not available. But we did have money to purchase a kit to build one geodesic dome. On a long 4th of July weekend Johann and I, and just a few of our students managed to erect it. It had exterior panels but there was no foundation, or interior insulation, wiring, or plumbing. On Monday when the director of the purchasing dept. learned of the structure we had hastily built, he suggested to our dean that it would be wise to fire us. The dean didn’t, and the university ended by purchasing several more geodesic domes. After retiring Johann continued to use his Viking energy consistently in everything he did, even up to his last year.”
“He was my dear, dear friend and mentor and my life remains enriched because of it. And the UCF community, as well, has been enriched by his creativity, passion and spirit.”
About Johann Eyfells:
Eyfells was born in Reykjavík, Iceland, in 1923. Eyfells works with a variety of media, including metal, wood, paper, plastic, and cloth, in an effort to document the interaction between time, space, and gravity. Many of his sculptures are minimal and non-objective, resembling lava or geological formations. In the 1960s, he developed the concept of Receptualism, the practice of portraying original ideas visually using non-representative and abstract forms. Eyfells considers himself more of an experimental chemist than a sculptor.
Eyfells worked as an architect, artist and teacher in Iceland before relocating to the United States. During his studies at the University of California, Berkeley, Eyfells met Kristin Halldorsdottir, a former Icelandic model and dress designer. They married in 1949 and moved to Florida together in 1969 to complete their studies. In 1969, he joined the art department of the Florida Technological University (present-day University of Central Florida) and taught there for over 30 years. On retirement, he moved to Fredericksburg, Texas. (Excerpt of Johann Eyfell’s bio found on the RICHES MI™ of UCF History Department)
One quote from his website described Eyfells, “at 94 years of age, this irrepressible old Viking can be seen every day moving massive stones and erecting enormous works in steel and aluminum.” Read more about the late Johann Eyfell’s and his life’s work on his website.
One of Eyfells’ collaborative sculptures can be found near the front entrance of the Visual Arts Building and a recent article about the public art on UCF’s campus describes it as “an outdoor sculpture from the early years of the UCF Art Department has just been installed near the Visual Arts Building. The cast concrete and aluminum work from the 1970s is believed to be a collaborative piece by UCF Professor Johann Eyfells and his students. The sculpture was near the former Colbourn Hall building (the home of the Art Department) and required relocation before the building was demolished. With the support of the SVAD Faculty and approval of the University Master Planning Committee, the art was moved to the grounds of the Visual Arts Building.” Read more.
This sculpture (pictured left) will always remind us of his enduring legacy at UCF’s School of Visual Arts and Design.
Photos of Johann Eyfells below with former colleagues and students:
Photo Credit: “August 26 – September 10, 1972 – FTU art professor Dr. Walter Gaudnek received a commission from the Olympic Spielstrasse Committee to participate in a ten day art event during the 1972 Munich Olympics. His FTU colleagues, Icelandic sculptor Johann Eyfells and FTU Art Department. Celebrating 50 Years. Image 14. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/fiftyyears/14″
Photo courtesy of Professor Robert Rivers.
Photo Credit: “Central Florida Future, Vol. 14 No. 19, January 15, 1982” (1982). Central Florida Future. 455. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/centralfloridafuture/455
Photo Credit: “Central Florida Future, Vol. 14 No. 19, January 15, 1982” (1982). Central Florida Future. 455. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/centralfloridafuture/455
Photo Credit: Recommended Citation “Central Florida Future, Vol. 08 No. 27, May 14, 1976” (1976). Central Florida Future. 261. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/centralfloridafuture/261
Photo courtesy of Former Professor Steve Lotz
Photo courtesy of Former Professor Steve Lotz
