The National Gallery of Iceland

The National Gallery of Iceland is an art museum which is shared across two locations. This is the main gallery located in the early 20th-century ice house building along Fríkirkjuvegur street facing Tjörnin Lake. The second location, makes use of the Culture House (also referred to as the House of Collections), early 20th-century library on Hverfisgata street just a few minutes walk from here. Opening hours are 10am to 5pm daily while entry ticket (2400kr for adults, 1200kr students) provides access to both locations as well. We visited both the National Gallery of Iceland and the House of Collections during a recent visit to Iceland. Both focus on 19th and 20th century artworks by Icelandic artists which are spaced out across several floors within the two museums. The House of Culture location contains a much larger collection. We found the exhibitions at both museums interesting and worth visiting for art lovers who plan to spend time sightseeing around Reykjavik.

Whether you are an art enthusiast or not, visiting an art gallery when you find yourself in another country is part of the cultural exploration. I visited the National Galery of Iceland a few days ago. The gallery had 3 different exhibitions of modern art, and I was able to view all exhibits and read about the artists in less than an hour. As I am not an art critic, I cannot comment on the exhibits, but on the overall experience: it was fine, but I would expect more. With this being the national gallery, I would expect to see some sections with permanent collections and some temporary ones - to be fair, both aforementioned categories existed but with limited exhibits. There is also a cafeteria and a small area for kids to draw together with the cloakroom. Nevertheless, if you buy a city card, I would suggest putting this as part of your places to visit within the 24/48-hour window available.

The national gallery was made with beautiful modern architecture of glass and steel, which connects older looking structures. Comparatively, it is a very small gallery which you can see in an hour or so. Admission in 2024 was about $22CAD and the ticket is also good for another venue: the Collections Gallery. The ticket is good for a 24 hr period. Photography was permitted, and encouraged (there were signs), during our visit, and I *think* that's usually the case at this venue.

The gallery is quite interesting and I liked the building itself, but there is not so much to see and even stopping to read a lot of the information on each artist we took just around an hour. There is a floor for abstract modern art which I really couldn’t believe some of the pieces. I guess each to their own taste. We had bought the Reykjavík City Card which is great value and allows visits to multiple museum, public transport bus and access to swimming pools. I would highly recommend purchase as it has paid back after visiting two galleries more or less. Valid for 24 hours from time of your first visit.

Friendly staff, and one really interesting exhibition on art forgery. The rest of the museum felt a bit sparse, both content and information wise. There's so much culture, history and art in Iceland that I was hoping for more.

The National Gallery of Iceland is situated in a bright and airy building very close to a lovely lake by the national parliament. Across multiple floors artists show through sculptures, audiovisuals and photography some aspects of Icelandic society and concerns. At the time of my visit there were a couple of temporary exhibitions, but I would highlight the photography exhibition called "Intimacies of the Everyday". The candid pictures of 5 different photographers, the accompanying texts and the books summating the experience are delightful and well worth a visit if you get there before May 2025. The entry ticket included the access to the House of Collections, another fantastic gallery nearby.

Today, I visited the National Gallery of Iceland and saw all the current exhibits. My personal favorite was definitely the Borealis exhibition with its vivid videos of recordings of Artic flora and water cascading over rocks & soil ... truly unique work! I definitely recommend a visit and while you are there check out the kids corner and thec gift shop too. 😀

I regret not researching more thoroughly before visiting the National Gallery of Iceland. I was disappointed with my experience and felt the admission fee was not justified. Upon arrival, I did not receive a warm welcome; the staff at the entrance, while professional, seemed cold and dismissive. The gallery's three floors lacked substantial displays of art, and I completed my visit in less than 15 minutes.