Art Lover’s Guide to Reykjavik

Kick off your art tour of Reykjavik with a visit to the National Gallery of Iceland (Listasafn Islands). One of the country’s most important museums, the National Gallery focuses on 19th- and 20th-century Icelandic art but also represents international modern artists and holds works by renowned figures such as Pablo Picasso, Edward Munch, and Richard Serra. In addition to showcasing highlights from the permanent collection, the museum’s regularly rotating temporary exhibitions also highlight contemporary Icelandic art.

Also known as the Culture House, the House of Collections (Safnahusid) is part of the National Gallery of Iceland and showcases many Icelandic art treasures from the gallery's collection. The beautiful century-old building is worth the visit alone. Built in 1906–08 to house the National Library, it features a grand staircase and a façade decorated with crests bearing the names of literary figures.

The Reykjavik Art Museum occupies three different locations across the city. Hafnarhús occupies an old warehouse near the Old Harbour and comprises six galleries showing modern and contemporary artists, most prominently the Icelandic pop artist Erró, who donated a large body of work to the collection. Kjarvalsstaðir displays pieces by one of Iceland’s most celebrated painters and sculptors, Jóhannes S. Kjarval. Finally, Ásmundarsafn is housed in a building where sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson lived and worked. The museum always shows his work but also regularly exhibits work by other Icelandic artists, and dozens of Ásmundur’s sculptures dot the surrounding garden. Admission to all three is included with a Reykjavik city pass.

Housed in an old fish meal factory in Grandi, Reykjavik’s revitalized old harbor area, the Marshall House is home to four independent contemporary art galleries, the Living Art Museum, Kling and Bang, Thula, and i8 Grandi, as well as Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson’s private studio. After working up an appetite exploring the Reykjavik art scene and hopping from one temporary exhibition to the next, refuel with a meal at the Marshall House’s first-floor Italian restaurant.

The shimmering glass façade of Harpa (Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre) cuts a striking figure on Reykjavik’s waterfront. Designed by Olafur Eliasson in collaboration with the Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects, the building’s honeycombed panels change colors with the weather, time, and season. A cultural hub, Harpa hosts regular, diverse musical and theatrical events but is worth a visit for the gorgeous art-filled building alone. Look out for Icelandic artist Elín Hansdóttir’s “Himinglæva” outside the concert hall. This stainless-steel sculpture is a wind harp that generates sonic overtones as the wind blows through it. Walking tours of Reykjavik typically include a stop at Harpa.

Stretching from Harpa to the cruise terminal, Reykjavik’s Sculpture and Shore Walk leads walkers along a scenic stretch of waterfront, past sculptures including the Sun Voyager (Solfar), a steel sculpture overlooking Kollafjörður fjord that was created by Icelandic artist Jón Gunnar Arnason as an ode to the sun—although most visitors note its resemblance to a Viking longship. Other sculptures along the path include The Cairn, made from rock by the sculptor Jóhann Eyfells, and Partnership by Pétur Bjarnason. This bronze sculpture honors diplomatic relations between Iceland and the U.S.

The Reykjavik Museum of Photography preserves and exhibits Icelandic and international photography from the early days of the medium to the present era. Exhibitions, which change multiple times during the year, are diverse and cover historical and contemporary photography, often focusing on Iceland's social history. The museum is part of the Reykjavik City Museum network, which also includes the Arbaer Open Air Museum, the Settlement Exhibition, the Maritime Museum, and Videy Island.

Both sanctioned and illicit street art has long been popular in Reykjavik. One of the most productive projects of recent years was Wall Poetry, a collaboration between the Iceland Airwaves music festival and Urban Nation, a street art museum in Berlin, which produced a series of music-themed murals around the city—artists were paired with musicians to create visual expressions of their music. Some of those still standing include a piece by the British artist Tankpetrol on the gable end of Grandagarthur 14, inspired by the Icelandic band GusGus’s song “Over,” and an ethereal piece by Canadian Li Hill inspired by John Grant’s song “Pale Green Ghosts”; it’s on the back wall of Gamla Bíó. Find more with a street art walking tour.

If you’d like to pick up a souvenir of your art tour of Reykjavik, head for Kirsuberjatréd (the Cherry Tree). Run by 10 female artists, the gallery/store is chock-full of beautiful locally handmade objects, from paintings to ceramics and clothing. The store is in downtown Reykjavik, across the street from the Reykjavik Art Museum (Hafnarhús).