Iceland Imagined A Curious Vision of the Icelandic Landscape from the 18th Century
Hidden within the collection of the National Gallery of Iceland are 24 unusual 18th-century landscape paintings, all bearing titles that refer to Iceland. The artist is unknown, and there are many indications that he never actually set foot in Iceland. Instead, he appears to have created his own vision of the country based on sources such as travel books and maps.
The works entered the National Gallery’s collection in 1928, when Matthías Þórðarson, then Director of the National Museum and custodian of the Gallery, received them as a gift from the heirs of the Danish feudal baron and prime minister Tage Reedtz-Thott. Many of the paintings feature sailing ships, people and seabirds, yet the landscapes bear little resemblance to the familiar Icelandic scenery we know today.
The mountains are particularly striking. Tall and conical, in places they resemble stalactites or sugarloaves more than Icelandic peaks. Titles such as Sukker Toppene i Island and Pÿramiederne i Island may even have been inspired by Eggert Ólafsson and Bjarni Pálsson’s 1772 travel account, in which similar terms are used to describe the Icelandic landscape.
Although the landscapes are imaginary, the artist appears to have sought realism in the details. People, birds and animals play an important role in the paintings, helping to convey a sense of scale and distance. The human figures are in many ways reminiscent of illustrations found in 18th-century travel accounts of Iceland.
Exactly who painted the works and where the artist obtained his information remains unknown. What is clear, however, is that he interpreted his sources freely, creating a fantastical vision of Iceland in which travel, geography, natural forces and exotic landscapes come together.
Last chance to see this rare vision of Iceland in the exhibition Iceland Imagined at The Icelandic Folk and Outsider Art Museum in Svalbarðseyri. The exhibition is a collaboration between the National Gallery of Iceland and The Icelandic Folk and Outsider Art Museum and runs until 4 October 2026.6.
