Programme of the week
Announcement February 2026 – National Gallery of Iceland
Free admission for adults accompanying children during the winter school break
February 19–22 📢
The National Gallery of Iceland is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is free for adults accompanying children during the winter school break, February 19–22, 2026.
At the House of Collections on Hverfisgata, the exhibition Resistance – Collected Treasures of Icelandic Art welcomes visitors on every floor of the museum. Also on view is Stand Still and Turn to Stone, an exhibition exploring Icelandic folklore in visual art.
On February 21, from 14:00 to 16:00, the children’s club Krummi will take place at the Einar Jónsson Museum under the theme Dragon at the Einar Jónsson Museum. In the Red Hall of the museum, visitors will find a large dragon sculpture. We will study it carefully, then discover our own inner dragon and transform it into a work of art. Families can design their own dragon family.
At Fríkirkjuvegur, four new and exciting exhibitions are on view: Innocent Bodies by Agnieszka Polska, Seas' Blue Yonder by Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir and Mark Wilson, Affinities of Form – Artistic Convergences in Iceland since 1970, and The Architecture of Place, featuring architectural drawings by Donald Judd and Hörður Ágústsson.
You are warmly welcome!
The Einar Jónsson Museum | National Gallery of Iceland
Visit the National Gallery during winter school break!
Announcement February 2026 – National Gallery of Iceland
The National Gallery of Iceland receives Best Art Museum 2026 🎉
The National Gallery of Iceland has recently received the Best of Reykjavík award from The Reykjavík Grapevine, recognising it as the leading art museum in Reykjavík.
A strong exhibition and public engagement programme, together with a diverse range of events, creates a dynamic cultural environment. In recent months, we have truly felt the positivity and growing interest in the museum’s activities, and for that we are deeply grateful.
We will continue forward with confidence and dedication.
Grapevine: Best of Reykjavík
Event | 14 February 2026 – The House of Collections
Krummi Kids’ Club
Art Workshop: Dragon Workshop 👻
You are warmly invited to a fun and creative art workshop with the Krummi Children’s Club at the Einar Jónsson Museum on Saturday, February 18, from 14:00 to 16:00.
In the Red Hall of the Einar Jónsson Museum, you will find a large dragon sculpture. We will take a close look at it, then discover our own inner dragon and transform it into a work of art. Families are invited to design and create their own dragon family together.
Free admission for the whole family!
Facebook Event: (7) Krakkaklúbburinn Krummi – Dreki í Listasafni Einars Jónssonar 🐉 | Facebook
More: For children of all ages | National Gallery of Iceland
Krummi Kids’ Clubs' Dragon Workshop
Announcement February 2026 – National Gallery of Iceland
One million euros awarded to a project led by the National Gallery of Iceland
The National Gallery of Iceland has received a major grant from Creative Europe, part of the European Union’s cultural programme. The funding has been awarded to the project CUSP: Creative Understanding, Saving and Preserving Time Based Media Art.
The project aims to strengthen knowledge and expertise in the preservation and installation of time-based visual art—artworks in which time is a defining element (in the same way that colour and form are defining elements in painting or sculpture). This includes video works, sound works, digital works, and performance art.
In addition to the National Gallery of Iceland, the institutions participating in the project are Nasjonalmuseet (Norway), LiMa (the Netherlands), Vasulka Kitchen (Czech Republic), and Mystetskyi Art Arsenal (Ukraine), together with partner organisations Vasulka Foundation, University of Iceland, and Iceland University of the Arts.
One million euros awarded to a project led by the National Gallery of Iceland
Save the Date 📢
Stay and Turn to Stone!
Opening and Book Launch
On Thursday, February 26, we celebrate the opening of the new exhibition Stay and Turn to Stone! at the House of Collections, together with the launch of a book of the same title.
The exhibition explores Icelandic folklore in visual art and is presented in three galleries on the ground floor of the House of Collections. It is particularly well suited for educational programming. In conjunction with the exhibition, the museum’s education department has developed a publication connected to the themes and works on view.
The book is intended for teachers and can be used at all school levels.
Facebook event: Útgáfuhóf og opnun | Stattu og vertu að steini! | Facebook
More: Stay and Turn to Stone! | National Gallery of Iceland
Exhibition Opening and Book Launch
Course 2026 – Einar Jónsson Museum
Adult Course
Perspectives on the Art of Einar Jónsson
Participants will explore the life and work of Einar Jónsson, a pioneer of Icelandic sculpture. The course is based on the book Seeing Souls, which places particular emphasis on the interpretation of the sculptor’s works. Attention will be given to the symbolic world of the sculptures and to how Einar Jónsson’s art reflected the national awakening and cultural discourse of his time.
The course offers participants an opportunity to view Einar Jónsson’s work in a new light and to gain a deeper understanding of his influence on Icelandic art history.
The course consists of two evening sessions, held on:
18 and 25 March, 5:15–7:00 pm
Instructor: Sigurður Trausti Traustason, former president of the board of the Einar Jónsson Museum
Information and registration here
Perspectives on the Art of Einar Jónsson
Museum Shop 2026 – National Gallery of Iceland
The National Gallery of Iceland Museum Shop is filled with carefully selected gift items, greeting cards, jewellery, posters, books, and more.
Among the treasures in the museum shop is this beautiful birchwood tray, featuring Þingvellir (1900) by Þórarinn B. Þorláksson.
Þórarinn was one of many painters captivated by Þingvellir. His work belongs to a period in Icelandic art history known as the Pioneer era, which was ideologically connected to the struggle for independence and the building of a new society at the beginning of the 20th century.
Find it here: Tray: Þórarinn B. Þorláksson – Thingvellir | Listasafn Íslands
Browse the Webstore here
Tray: Þórarinn B. Þorláksson – Thingvellir