Art Museums
Hafnarfjörður | Kópavogur | Akureyri | Hveragerði
Reykjavík
The National Gallery of Iceland
Fríkirkjuvegur
Reykjavík
The National Gallery of Iceland is a national art institution, encompassing works by Icelandic artists, an archive of documentation relating to the visual arts in Iceland and a centre for the dissemination of information on Icelandic art, past and present. The museum is chiefly concerned with 19th and 20th century art, Icelandic and foreign.
http://www.listasafn.is
The National Gallery
The Ásgrímur Jónsson Collection
Bergstaðatræti 74
Reykjavík
The Ásgrímur Jónsson Collection Painter Ásgrímur Jónsson (1876-1958) bequeathed all his works to the Icelandic state. His donation forms a separate department within the National Gallery of Iceland. Ásgrímur Jónsson was a pioneer of modern Icelandic art and one of the country's most prolific landscape painters. His collection is to be found in his studio home, which is open to the public. It comprises oil paintings, watercolours and drawings.
http://www.listasafn.is/
Reykjavík Art Museum – Hafnarhús
Tryggvagötu 17
Reykjavík
In April 2000 Reykjavík Art Museum opened a new museum by the harbour side premises in an old warehouse named Hafnarhús. It has six exhibition halls for art, a multi-purpose space and an outdoor area in an enclosed courtyard. The house hosts exhibitions from the general collections of the Museum, diverse temporary exhibitions of works by Icelandic and international artists, and exhibitions from the Erró collection which have a permanent place in the Museum´s schedule. At the Hafnarhús there is a cafeteria where guests can enjoy refreshments and light meals in beautiful settings with an impressive view over the harbour. At the cafeteria there is also an open internet access for guests. A museum shop is situated in the museum which offers a wide selection of books and catalogues, postcards, posters, casts of sculptures by Ásmundur Sveinsson and various art pieces.
http://www.listasafnreykjavikur.is/Hafnarhus/hafnarhus.hvar.en.shtml
Reykjavík Art Museum – Kjarvalsstaðir
Flókagötu
Reykjavík
Reykjavík Art Museum at Kjarvalsstaðir was inaugurated in 1973. It is situated
at Miklatún park close to the center of Reykjavík. At Kjarvalsstaðir works
by leading Icelandic and international artists of the 20th century are exhibited.
A permanent exhibition of Jóhannes S. Kjarval (1885-1972) works are always
on display in the Kjarval Hall. At Kjarvalsstaðir there is a cafeteria where
guests can enjoy refreshments and light meals in beautiful settings with
impressive view. A museum shop is situated at Kjarvalsstaðir which offers
a wide selection of books and catalogues, postcards, posters showing art
works and casts of sculptures by Ásmundur Sveinsson.
http://www.listasafnreykjavikur.is
Reykjavík Art Museum – Ásmundarsafn
Sigtúni
Reykjavík
Ásmundarsafn or The Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum is dedicated to the sculpture and drawings of the sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson (1893-1982). The building is the former home of the artist, mostly designed by himself. Ásmundarsafn gives an overview of different periods in the career of the artist. The Museum shop offers postcards and casts of sculptures by Ásmundur Sveinsson.
http://www.listasafnreykjavikur.is
Safn
Laugavegi 37
Reykjavík
Safn (Museum) opened in the beginning of June 2003. Situated in an early 20th century wood frame house in the center of Reykjavík. It houses both international and Icelandic contemporary art. Safn is the result of over 30 years of passionate and thoughtful collecting of Pétur Arason and Ragna Róbertsdóttir. Theirs is the largest and most significant privat collection of its kind in Iceland.It houses 300 artists from the 70s to present.
Listasafn ASÍ
Open 13-17
On June 17th, 1961, entrepreneur Ragnar Jónsson gave the Icelandic Federation of Labour Unions (ASÍ) some 120 works of art, which formed the basis of the Labour Unions' Art Collection. The LUAC's goal is to further public awareness of the visual arts. There are about 25 art exhibitions in the Gallery each year in three exhibition halls. The Gallery rents out two of the exhibitions halls to artists, who arrange their exhibitions themselves. The exhibition policy of the Galleries to represent both art and crafts emphasises that the exhibitions reflect the variety of contemporary Icelandic art. The Labour Unions' Art Gallery also exhibits works from the collection both in the Gallery and in a variety of places of work.
http://www.asi.is/
National Museum of Iceland
Suðurgata 41
101 Reykjavík
The National Museum displays objects that provide insight into Icelandic cultural history - displays that encourage visitors to dwell on the past, present and future. The museum aims to nurture knowlede and innovation while maintaining a wide perspective and sense of communuty.
National Center for Cultural Heritage
Hverfisgata 15
Reykjavík
The Culture House was built during the period 1906-1908 to house the National Library and National Archives of Iceland and was opened to the public in the spring of 1909. The building was also home to Iceland’s National Museum and Natural History Museum for several decades. The Museum contains various exhibitions that cast light on Iceland’s history and cultural heritage esp. the medieval saga manuscripts.
The Einar Jónsson Museum
Eiriksgata
Reykjavík
In 1914 sculptor Einar Jónsson (1874-1954) donated his works to the Icelandic nation with the proviso that they be housed in a museum bearing his name. In the museum building and its adjacent sculpture garden are displayed 123 works by the artist, paintings and sculptures. The museum also endeavours to spread information and understanding of Einar Jónsson's work by way of guided tours, lectures and publications.
http://www.skulptur.is
Gerðuberg Culture Center
Gerðuberg 3-5
Reykjavík
The Gerðuberg cultural center opened in 1983 in a hilly suburb of Reykjavík.
Since then attendance figures have steadily increased and the multiplicity
of events ensures Gerðuberg's important role in the cultural life of the
city. The goal of Gerðuberg, the Reykjavík Cultural Center, is to be informative,
educational, entertaining and innovative in all fields of culture. To achieve
this goal emphasis is laid on the various art forms and on meeting the needs
of many diverse groups. Activities include concerts and theatre performances,
art exhibitions, visual and literary seminars, lectures and conferences
as well as organising workshops for children, educational courses and handwork
classes.
http://www.gerduberg.is/
The Sigurjón Ólafsson Museum
Laugarnestangi 70
Reykjavík
The Sigurjón Ólafsson Museum exhibits works by the Icelandic sculptor, Sigurjón Ólafsson. It is a private foundation, founded by the artist's widow, Birgitta Spur who had the artist's studio at Laugarnes converted to house a large collection of his works; sculptures, sketches and drawings, as well as biographical material.
In addition to its exhibition of Ólafsson's works, the museum sponsors various cultural programmes and its weekly summer concerts have become popular events in the culture life of Reykjavík.
http://www.lso.is/
Reykjavik Museum of Photography
Reykjavík Museum of Photography is the only independent museum of photography in Iceland. The museum is located in Grófarhús, Tryggvagata 15, sixth floor.The museum’s objective is to present both historical and contemporary photography in an artistic, social and cultural context, and to nurture public and scholarly interest in photography and photographic culture. The guiding principle of the Reykjavík Museum of Photography is that the museum grow as a photographic museum in the international context, and awaken the widest possible interest in the cultural role of photography.
The Nordic House
The Nordic House in Reykjavik is a cultural centre, run by the Nordic Council of Ministers, whose main goal it is to stimulate and strengthen the cultural links between Iceland and the other Nordic countries. To this end, the Nordic House organizes an extensive programme of cultural events and exhibitions and maintains a library and an information service, Focus on the Nordic Region.
The Nordic House in Reykjavik was designed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. It opened in 1968.
http://www.nordice.is/
LAM
The Living Art Museum
The Living Art Museum was founded in 1978. It is a private institution administered by the Living Art Museum Society which has a membership of around 200 artists, Icelandic as well as foreign. The museum has as its main objective the collection of post-1960 Icelandic art. It also seeks to acquaint its public with the latest trends in Icelandic and foreign art.
http://www.nylo.is
Outside Reykjavík
Hafnarborg
The Hafnarfjörður Institute of Culture and Fine Art
Strandgata 34
Hafnarfjörður
The Hafnarborg Centre was founded through the munificence of local apothecary Sverrir Magnússon and his wife, Ingibjörg Sigurjónsdóttir. In 1983 they donated their house on Strandgata 34, along with a fine collection of paintings and books, to the citizens of Hafnarfjörður. The collection consists mostly of 20th century Icelandic art.
Hafnarborg has exhibitions of the works of living artists, Icelandic and international, in addition to retrospective exhibitions, historical exhibitions and varied collective shows.
http://www.hafnarborg.is
Gerðarsafn
Kópavogur Art Museum
Hamraborg 4
Kópavogur
Kópavogur Art Museum – Gerðarsafn is one of Iceland's newest art museums, inaugurated in 1994, and the largest outside Reykjavík. Its collection comprises some 2,500 works. The Gerður Helgadóttir collection, donated to the town of Kópavogur by the heirs of the sculptress in 1977, contains around 1,400 works. Another 300 works are in the bequest by illustrator Barbara Árnason and painter/sculptor Magnús Á. Árnason. Other works in the collection have been purchased by Kópavogur Arts and Culture Committee and are almost exclusively by Icelandic artists. In 2001, Kópavogur Art Museum took custody of the private collection owned by Þorvaldur Guðmundsson and his wife Ingibjörg Guðmundsdóttir. Different exhibitions are compiled every year from the more than 1,000 works that make up this largest private collection in Iceland. A wide range of exhibitions of Icelandic modern and contemporary art are staged at the museum and international exhibitions are also held in cooperation with museums and institutes from other countries.
Akureyri Art Museum
Kaupvangsstræti 12
Akureyri
Founded in 1993, The Akureyri Art Museum is the youngest art museum in Iceland and the only one of its kind outside the capital city of Reykjavik.
The aim of the museum is to promote visual culture, to increase knowledge and the general appreciation of art, while maintaining an active relationship with the local schools. The museum prides itself on presenting a great range of exhibitions and regularly shows some of the most progressive artists in Iceland as well as internationally acknowledged artists from abroad.
http://www.listasafn.akureyri.is/
LA Iceland Art Museum
Austurmörk 21,
Hveragerði
Yet a modern, minimalistic building of concrete and timber (built in 1996) opened in 2003. The Museum was originally located in Selfoss and the move inspired a more modern approach to the museum’s concept, which is to mirror interdisciplinary contemporary art and design, both Icelandic and international. The focus of the permanent collections is on Icelandic paintings and wooden sculptures from the 20th century.
June-Aug open Tues-Sun 11-5; spring and fall Sat & Sun 11-5; winter by appointment only.
http://www.listasafnarnesinga.is