Stay and turn to stone!

The rich and otherworldly visual universe of Icelandic folktales has been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Icelandic visual artists since the beginning of the 20th century. This folkloric heritage is an inseparable part of the national psyche, and the stories—told over the centuries both for instruction and for entertainment—continue to live on in the collective memory of the nation.

Within the collection of the National Gallery of Iceland are hundreds of artworks that reflect this world of tales. Among them are numerous works by the pioneer of Icelandic painting, Ásgrímur Jónsson (1876–1958), who was the first Icelandic artist to illustrate folktales, thereby becoming a source of inspiration and a role model for other artists.

The exhibition presents selected works from the collection of the National Gallery of Iceland that, in different ways, engage with folktales and the narrative world associated with them.