Programme of the week
Event 26 March 2026 – National Gallery of Iceland
Long Thursday
Open from 10:00–22:00
We warmly welcome you on Long Thursday, 26 March. On the last Thursday of each month, the National Gallery of Iceland is open until 22:00. The café, Kaktus Espressobar, is also open until 22:00 on Long Thursday. A tapas platter with a glass of wine is on offer for ISK 2,900.
Standard museum admission applies.
You can explore the current exhibitions below.
At the National Gallery:
The Architecture of Place | National Gallery of Iceland
Innocent Bodies | National Gallery of Iceland
Affinities of Form | National Gallery of Iceland
Sea´s Blue Yonder | National Gallery of Iceland
Long Thursday
Announcement 26 March 2026 – The House of Collections on Hverfisgata
Extended opening hours at Safnahúsið
Open until 22:00 on Thursday, 26 March
The National Gallery of Iceland, in collaboration with the Icelandic departments of Ingunnarskóli and Austurbæjarskóli, has organized an art exhibition featuring works by children at Safnahúsið on Hverfisgata, in connection with the new exhibition Stand Still and Turn to Stone!
Both schools participated in specially designed museum visits, where students explored Icelandic folk tales and the artworks in the National Gallery of Iceland’s collection that relate to them. Part of the project also involved sharing folk tales from different parts of the world. The Icelandic department is a special program for international students who have recently moved to Iceland, with a focus on learning Icelandic and adapting to the Icelandic school system. The group consists of children aged 10–16 who collectively speak 16 languages.
The exhibition is located in the building’s reading room and runs until 29 March 2026 (inclusive).
On view at the House of Collections:
Stay and Turn to Stone! | National Gallery of Iceland
Resistance, Interplay of Art and Science | National Gallery of Iceland
Extended opening hours at Safnahúsið
News 2026 – National Gallery of Iceland
Preparations for the Children’s Culture Festival in Full Swing!
In recent months, the National Gallery of Iceland has been working on a large and diverse exhibition for children at the House of Collections on Hverfisgata, where the exhibition Stand Still and Turn to Stone! has inspired children in their creative work.
We look forward to introducing the project in more detail in the coming weeks.
More: Preparations for the Children’s Culture Festival are in full swing! | National Gallery of Iceland
Publication: Stattu og vertu að steini! - Þjóðsögur í myndlist
Exhibition: Stay and Turn to Stone! | National Gallery of Iceland
Children’s Culture Festival
Art Courses 2026 – National Gallery of Iceland
New Art Courses! 🎨
Registration now open
Our highly popular summer courses are back! The National Gallery of Iceland offers creative and engaging art courses for children aged 7–9 (born 2017–2019) and 10–12 (born 2014–2016), held in the museum’s art workshop at Fríkirkjuvegur.
Inspired by the museum’s exhibitions, participants will explore artworks while developing their sense of color and form. Children will experiment with a variety of materials and work across different media, including painting and sculpture.
The courses aim to encourage children to approach both nature and visual art with confidence and curiosity. Learning takes place through experience, dialogue, and hands-on making. At the end of each course, family and friends are invited to a special exhibition showcasing the participants’ work.
Six courses will be offered between 15 June and 14 August, running daily from 9:00 to 12:00. The instructor is visual artist Helena Reynisdóttir.
All courses sold out last year—secure your place early to avoid missing out!
Register here: Frístundakort Reykjavíkur | Listasafn Íslands | Námskeið | Abler
Summer courses for kids at the National Gallery of Iceland
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 are linen tablecloths, placemats, and napkins decorated with works by Sölvi Helgason (1820–1895), also known as Sólon Íslandus.
Sólon lived during a time of strict social constraints in Iceland, which he largely disregarded. He traveled the country as a self-taught artist, creating distinctive works characterized by intricate floral patterns. Today, his art is considered a valuable part of Iceland’s cultural heritage and art history.
Find the Solon Islandus collection here: Sölvi Helgason a.k.a Sólon Íslandus | Listasafn Íslands
Browse the Webstore here
Sólon Íslandus - travel mug