Exhibition opening

We invite you to the opening of the exhibition Revisited on Friday, May 23, 2025, at 5pm at the National Gallery at Fríkirkjuvegur 7.

With this exhibition, the National Gallery of Iceland turns its attention to the works of painter Kristján Helgi Magnússon (1903–1937), who passed away at only 34 years of age, after a brief but intriguing career. Kristján Helgi’s paintings attracted attention both in Iceland and abroad when he burst onto the art scene nearly 100 years ago. He held exhibitions in major cities on both sides of the Atlantic, receiving praise for his landscapes, portraits, and still lifes.

In Iceland, however, his work was met with mixed reactions, and today his name is rarely heard in discussions of Icelandic art. Nevertheless, his contribution to art history is significant and of considerable interest for many reasons.