 Reykjavík Art Museum is a leading museum in Iceland, housed in three distinctive locations in central Reykjavík—Hafnarhús, Kjarvalsstaðir and Ásmundarsafn. We are also responsible for public art in the city.   The Museum is a dynamic and progressive platform where the public can experience a broad spectrum of visual arts of the past and the present. We exhibit leading Icelandic and international artists, historical research projects, as well as emerging local talents. Every year around fifteen exhibitions of different sizes are opened in the three locations.  Ragnar Kjartansson, Guð, hvað mér líður illa, 2017. We are dedicated to engaging diverse audiences through public programming and access to information through various mediums within the museum as well as beyond its walls. Every year we offer around 200 public events, e.g. gallery talks with artists and curators as well as the museum´s specialists. The museum is an important platform for the discourse on art and its message and function in society for artist and scholars as well as for the general audience and more than 10,000 students of all ages and generations. Our outreach program includes workshops, discussions, and guided tours in a variety of languages as well as specialized tours for people with disabilities and people facing social challenges.  

One of our goals is to be an innovative partner in cultural events in the city and to collaborate with numerous festivals, including Iceland Airwaves music festival, Reykjavík Museum Night, Reykjavík Arts Festival, DesignMarch and Reykjavík Cultural Night.
 The collection comprises more than 17,000 items in different mediums, mostly by Icelandic artists from the 20th and 21st century. Included are unique collections of artworks and archival materials by three prestigious Icelandic artists; Erró, Jóhannes S. Kjarval and Ásmundur Sveinsson. Exhibitions and research into their work are part of the Museum’s permanent program in the three different locations. May to September 10:00 – 17:00
October to April 13:00 – 17:00

About the museum

 Originally built as an office and warehouse for the Port of Reykjavík, Hafnarhús was built in several stages on a large landfill that was created in 1913-17. In its day, Hafnarhús was one of the largest buildings in Iceland and great care was taken in it construction. Its design bears the hallmarks of the international modernist style that developed in the interwar period in Central Europe, notably in the well-known German Bauhaus School. In 1998 an architectural competition was held for designs to renovate the building for the Reykjavik Art Museum, which had a growing need for space, not least to be able to house Erró’s magnanimous 1989 art bequest, and the museum was formally opened in April 2000, when Reykjavík was one of nine cities designated as European Capitals of Culture.

In their award-winning proposal, Margrét Harðardóttir and Steve Christer of the Studio Granda architectural firm used the history of the location as their starting point. To the south, up from the wooden wharf that lay where Hafnarhús now stands, the Wharf Building (Bryggjuhúsið) on Vesturgata functioned as Reykjavík's formal city gate, but for a long time  an open walkway led straight through the 1862 Wharf Building, as free public access to the wharf had been mandated by the building permit. The Wharf Building has been altered over the years and in 1927 the walkway was closed, but remnants of the ancient stonework at the end of the wharf are still visible on the northern side of the building. The locale’s importance to Reykjavík is reflected in the fact that the city’s street-numbering radiate from this spot.

The memory of the old wharf was revived in the renovation of Hafnarhús by means of an axis that cuts diagonally through the old building, reopening the connection to the harbour and the sea. In a new way, the main entrance and central artery of the museum therefore point to the vanished city gate and the city’s old lifeline to the greater world.
 The old harbour warehouse, known as Hafnarhús, exhibits progressive and experimental art by recognised local and international contemporary artists as well as emerging talents.
Hafnarhús is also home to the works of Erró which are permanently on show.
 Hafnarhús is located by the old harbour in the oldest part of Reykjavík, where the earliest wharf and old moorings lay. The building was designed by one of the pioneers of Icelandic architecture, architect Sigurður Guðmundsson, in collaboration with harbour master Þórarinn Kristjánsson in 1933-39, and expanded in 1957-58. It was subsequently renovated by the Studio Granda architectural firm in 1998-2000 to house the activities of the Reykjavik Art Museum. Hafnarhús houses works from the collection of the artist Erró, from his generous bequest of artworks and books to the city of Reykjavík, and also hosts a variety of contemporary art exhibitions. The original function of Hafnarhús as an industrial space is reflected in its outward aspect, in that the building is relatively closed to the outside. In accordance with the international modernist style, the building embraces the streamlined formal language of cruise ships and airplanes, abstaining from ornamentation and emphasising the building’s function and the interplay of horizontal and vertical lines, as can be seen in the pronounced lines around the windows, highlighting their external arrangement in a horizontal border and, on the north wall, in vertical bay windows. Large truck bays on the east and west sides, testifying to past vehicular traffic right through the building, were let stand in renovations along with other original doors at street level, providing an unusual viewing opportunity directly from the street into one of the museum’s largest exhibition halls. The current use of the building is underscored by painted panels in white or grey, and the art museum’s main entrance is cut into the south face, where a concrete awning, carefully angled over glass doors, arrests the eye. From the entrance, the line of vision runs directly along the corridor to the harbour beyond.

A concourse floored with hardwood boards leads through the building from the lobby, creating a rather narrow space that opens upward toward the next level. The walls and original weight-bearing columns are clad in rough-rolled steel, making a striking impression, reminiscent of rough-and-tumble modern shipyards. Flights of stairs leading upward do not touch the wooden concourse but rather hang from the concrete floor of the next level, encased in walls that are polished smooth, painted white, and slightly, almost imperceptibly curved. The complexity of the visual impression is deepened by the possibility of opening the steel walls along the walkway, onto the inner courtyard of the building. The space can be partially or completely transformed and its horizontal or vertical lines emphasised at will to, for example, open it to the sky from the court yard or, in the other direction, onto a multipurpose hall. Studio Granda’s play with old and new, rough and delicate, direct and indirect light results in a highly unusual atmosphere in the six exhibition halls on either side of the inner courtyard, each of which juxtaposes the building’s history and contemporary art in its own way, with white walls or raw concrete, or the square or octagonal support columns of the structure’s underlying grid. The museum's cafe is located at the end of the pier axis on the second floor with a view of the entrance to Reykjavík Harbour, which offers ever-changing live images of the ships, sea and mountains on the horizon. Erró in the courtyard Awards
Icelandic Environmental Services Association Award (2001). Nominated for the Blueprint Architecture Awards ‘Best Public Building Refurbishment’ (2001). European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award (2001). Recognition for outstanding design for accessibility, Sjálfsbjörg, the National Confederation of Physically Disabled People (2000).

Architects
Master Builder Sigurður Guðmundsson (1885-1958) was a seminal figure in Icelandic architecture. Following in the footsteps of architect Guðjón Samúelsson, Sigurður studied at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen from 1915 to 1925. Although he never completed his degree, he was nonetheless one of the most influential spokesmen in Iceland for new currents in architecture, ranging from Nordic Classicism to Functionalism and Modernism, with an emphasis on simple and artistic form. Sigurður founded the first privately-run architectural firm in Iceland, in which many of Iceland’s most prominent architects got their starts.

Majors works: Primary school Barnaskóli Austurbæjar (1924-30). Grund nursing home (1932-34). Garður, university housing on Hringbraut (1932-34). Hafnarhús at Tryggvagata 17, now part of the Reykjavik Art Museum (1933-39 and 1957-58). Studio for sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson, now Ásmundarsalur at Freyjugata 41 (1933-35). Station house, the Ljósafoss hydroelectric plant (1935-37). Merchant Marine Academy of Reykjavík (1942-45). National Museum of Iceland (1945-52). Private residences at Ásvallagata 14 (1928), Laufásvegur 70 (1927) and 75 (1929), Freyjugata 41 (1933), Garðastræti 41 (1929), Smáragata 16 (1931), Sóleyargata 11 (1931) and 29 (1932), and Freyjugata 46 (1931).

Studio Granda is one of the best-known architectural firms in Iceland. It was founded in 1987 by architects Margrét Harðardóttir (1960-) and Steve Christer (1959-), both graduates from the London Architectural Association School of Architecture. Studio Granda has attracted attention in the international arena for bold and discerning work that conveys strong ties to Icelandic culture and landscape while at the same time incorporating themes from the history of international architecture from Greek antiquity to Nordic modernism. The firm’s accolades include the Icelandic Visual Arts Award, the Nordic Award for Sheet Metal in Architecture, nominations for the Mies van der Rohe Award and the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, and listing of their work in the Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture. Studio Granda was nominated for the esteemed Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2002. 

Majors works: Reykjavík City Hall (1987-92). Supreme Court of Iceland building (1993-96). Höfðabakki Bridge (1994). Reykjavík Art Museum, Hafnarhús, renovation (1998-2000). Private residence at Skrúðás (2000-04). Bifröst School of Business, including the main building, campus layout, and research centre etc. (2001-07).Primary school extensions, Laugalækjarskóli (2001). Vogaskóli (2005-07). Hof country residence at Höfðaströnd (2003-07).

Text by Guja Dögg Hauksdóttir, former head of Architecture Department, Reykjavik Art Museum (2009). Photo: Dennis Gilbert, 2000 Photo: Dennis Gilbert, 2000

History of Hafnarhús

 The fund is a non-profit organisation under the custody of the Reykjavík City Council. The fund is supervised by the City of Reykjavík and the Erró Collection, and its board is made up of the directors of the Reykjavík Art Museum, the Icelandic National Gallery and the Akureyri Art Museum.
 Every year an award is issued by Guðmunda Kristinsdóttir’s Arts Fund, a fund estalished by  the artist Erró in memory of his late aunt.  The goal of the fund is to support female artists and promote them in their artistic creation.  Recipients of the award since its inception:

1998 Ólöf Nordal
1999 Finna Birna Steinsson
2000 Katrín Sigurðardóttir
2001 Gabríela Friðriksdóttir
2002 Sara Björnsdóttir
2003 Þóra Þórisdóttir
2004 Guðrún Vera Hjartardóttir
2006 Hekla Dögg Jónsdóttir
2008 Hulda Stefánsdóttir
2009 Margrét H. Blöndal
2010 Sara Riel
2011 Þórdís Aðalsteinsdóttir
2012 Ósk Vilhjálmsdóttir
2013 Guðný Rósa Ingimarsdóttir
2014 Ásdís Sif Gunnarsdóttir
2015 Sirra Sigrún Sigurðardóttir
2016 Hildigunnur Birgisdóttir
2017 Elín Hansdóttir
2018 Dodda Maggý
2019 Hulda Rós Guðnadóttir
2021 Anna Rún Tryggvadóttir
2022 Ingunn Fjóla Ingþórsdóttir
2022 Ingibjörg Sigurjónsdóttir – extra allocation on the occasion of Errós’ ninetieth birthday.

Guðmunda Kristinsdóttir Arts Fund (Mundusjóður)

 In the paintings Erró on the one hand underscores the women’s beauty by placing lavish flowers nearby, while on the other hand he implies their status as ‘consumer goods’ by juxtaposing them with still-lifes or transforming them into victims of the dominant patriarchal and colonial power through requisite war images.

  
Sunday 16 May 3 p.m. **Hafnarhús – Erró: Women from North Africa**  
Gallery Talk with Kristín Loftsdóttir anthropologist.. In the early 1980s Erró created many series of collages and paintings presenting gorgeous young women from North Africa in the nude or lightly swathed. These images derive from a large collection of postcards found by Erró and his friend Jean-Jacques Lebel at a Paris fleamarket.

The postcards were published from the late 19th century up until 1940, circulating in France during the French colonial rule of North Africa. The postcards transmitted an unrealistic image of native colonial women to the homeland families, friends, and lovers of tourists, soldiers, officials, and explorers. The models, often prostitutes, were photographed in a clichéd manner, in a blend of the erotic and the exotic that primarily conveyed Western sexual fantasies. If the women of the Arab world were veiled and distant, these photographs depict them in a setting from the Arabian Nights, in a continuation of Orientalist painting. With no regard for local culture or tradition, the photographers more or less strip the fair maidens. Captions often assign particular ethnicities to the models (Moorish, Arabian, Women of Oued-Nail), as if to bolster the idea that native women were obtainable or even at one’s disposal.

In place of this fantastical and risqué portrayal, Erró presents a different narrative, intended to honour these silent and anonymous heroines. By joining headshots and nude pictures with images from the Western cultural world, through association and eclectic juxtaposition, Erró manages to reawaken ideas of the possible truth of these women.

Erró – Portrett - Women from North Africa

 Portraits PRÉFACE Hafthor Yngvason. (En français)](http://www.artmuseum.is/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-2237/3530_read-15505)

[Portraits d’Erró DK Présentation. (En français)](http://www.artmuseum.is/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-2237/3530_read-15667)

Sunday 29 November 3 p.m. **Hafnarhús – Erró – Portrait**  
Science historian Þorsteinn Vilhjálmsson gives an introduction to the scientists and engineers in Erró´s works.

Sunday 13 December 3 p.m. **Hafnarhús – Erró – Portrait**  
Sigfríður Björnsdóttir music historian leads gests through the world of famous composers in Erró´s paintings, and plays music samples.. The year 2009 will be dedicated to the Erró Collection, an invaluable gift presented to Reykjavik City in 1989 by the artist himself. Hafnarhús will host special exhibitions and various happenings over the year. The exhibition Erró – Portrett presents his portraits or characters descriptions of well known individuals in the fields of science, politic, literature and arts. A part of the works will be on permanent show while others changes regularly with a emphasis on special themes such as Monsters (May 28 – August 30), Japanese Love letters (Sept. 3 – Dec. 31) and then Dolls, Astronauts and Women from N-Africa. A lavish catalogue will be published in connection with the exhibition. Curator: Danielle Kvaran.

[Erró.

Erró – Dolls

 In this interactive exhibition, kids can reconstruct paintings by Erró, using large blocks with sections of paintings printed on each of the cubes six side. The original paintings are on view at the museum at the same time..

Erró - The Game

 **Kjarvalsstaðir – A New Art Emerges**  
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, the former President of Iceland and founder of the experimental theater group Gríma, talks with curator Jón Proppé.

Wednesday 26 October 8 p.m. **Kjarvalsstaðir – A New Art Emerges & Fringeberry**  
Pianist Tinna Þorsteinsdóttir plays Icelandic music from the 1960s.

Sunday 30 October 3 p.m. **Kjarvalsstaðir – A New Art Emerges & Fringeberry**  
Curator Jón Proppé moderates a talk on literature in the 1960s. Pianist Tinna Þorsteinsdóttir plays works from the same period.. What happens when a new paradigm in art takes over from another? Does one simply merge into another or are there conflicts and cross currents? The mid-1960s saw a dramatic generational shift in Icelandic art.

  
The landscape art that had dominated the first half of the century no longer answered the call of the times and while abstraction had gained many followers in the 1950s, its influence was already waning.

  
Similar changes took place in literature, theater and music – the spirit of experimentation was felt everywhere. The new generation wanted something entirely new and was prepared to look in the unlikeliest places to find inspiration.

  
The exhibition explores the exciting new art produced in this period and atmosphere on the cultural scene as a new art began to emerge. **Artists:**  
Jón Gunnar Árnason, Dieter Roth, Jóhann Eyfells, Magnús Tómasson, Róska, Sigurjón Jóhannsson, Magnús Pálsson, Jes Einar Þorsteinsson, Gunnar S. Magnússon, Vilhjálmur Bergsson, Tryggvi Ólafsson, Kristján Guðmundsson, Sigurður Guðmundsson, Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir, Erró, Dagur Sigurðarson, Alfreð Flóki og Magnús Blöndal Jóhannsson. **Programme:**

Sunday 18 September 3 p.m. **Kjarvalsstaðir – A New Art Emerges &** **Fringeberry**  
Curator’s talk with Jón Proppé and musical performance by pianist Tinna Þorsteinsdóttir.

Sunday 9 October 3 p.m. **Kjarvalsstaðir – A New Art Emerges &** **Fringeberry**  
Bjarki Sveinbjörnsson, the director of the Music Museum in Iceland, discusses musical experiments in the 1960s. Pianist Tinna Þorsteinsdóttir plays piano pieces from the same period.

Sunday 23 October 3 p.m.

A New Art Emerges

 **Kjarvalsstaðir – Jór! Horses in Icelandic Art**  
Gallery Talk and lecture by Bergljót Rist travel guide and a horse-woman on the colours of the Icelandic Horse. Organized in collaboration with The Icelandic Equestrian Association.

  
Sunday 7 August 2 p.m.   
**Kjarvalsstaðir – Jór! Horses in Icelandic Art**  
Family program organized in collaboration with The Icelandic Equestrian Association.. The exhibition is curated by arthistorian Adalsteinn Ingólfsson. The horse has been an important subject to Icelandic artists from the beginning, either as the center focus in a painting or as a supporting role in landscape paintings. On show are oil paintings and three dimensional works by Iceland’s most distinguished artists from the beginning of the 20th century to present days, presenting the horse from different angles.

  
Artists: Aron Reyr Sverrisson, Ásgrímur Jónsson, Ásmundur Sveinsson, Baltasar, Birgir Andrésson, Brynhildur Þorgeirsdóttir, Daði Guðbjörnsson, Eggert Guðmundsson, Einar Hákonarson, Erlingur Jónsson, Erró, Finnur Jónsson, Guðrún Tryggvadóttir, Gunnar Karlsson, Gunnlaugur Scheving, Halldór Pétursson, Hallgrímur Helgason, Helgi Gíslason, Helgi Þorgils Friðjónsson, Hringur Jóhannesson, Hulda Vilhjálmsdóttir, Jóhann Briem, Jóhannes Geir, Jóhannes Jóhannesson, Jóhannes Kjarval, Jón Stefánsson, Kjartan Ólason, Kristín Gunnlaugsdóttir, Kristín Jónsdóttir, Louisa Matthíasdóttir, Níels Hafstein, Óli G. Jóhannsson, Ólöf Pálsdóttir, Páll Guðmundsson frá Húsafelli, Pétur Behrens, Ragnar Kjartansson, Sigurður Guðmundsson, Sigurjón Ólafsson, Snorri Arinbjarnar, Stefán Jónsson, Stefán Jónsson frá Möðrudal, Svavar Guðnason, Sveinn Þórarinsson, Tolli, Tryggvi Magnússon, Þorvaldur Skúlason, Þórarinn B. Þorláksson, Þórdís A. Sigurðardóttir and Þuríður Sigurðardóttir.

  
[Directors foreword](http://artmuseum.is/Portaldata/13/Resources/kjarvalsstadir/2011/ess/Jor_formali_ens.pdf)

  
  
**Programme:**  
  
Sunday 8 May 3 p.m. **Kjarvalsstaðir – Jór! Horses in Icelandic Art**  
Gallery Talk with curator Aðalsteinn Ingólfsson and Gísli B. Björnsson, graphic designer and author of the book The Icelandic Horse.

  
Sunday 26 June 3 p.m.

Jór! Horses in Icelandic Art

 Reykjavik Art Museum announces a two fold drawing competitionin connection with its exhibition Erró – Drawings. The competition consists of two categories, one for children in 7th to 10th grade in Icelandic compulsory schools and the other for the citizens of Iceland in general. Thirty of the best drawings will be selected for an exhibition at Hafnarhús, and generous prices will be awarded for the best drawing in each category..

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About the museum

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History of Hafnarhús

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History of Hafnarhús

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Guðmunda Kristinsdóttir Arts Fund (Mundusjóður)

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Erró – Portrett - Women from North Africa

Exhibition

Erró – Dolls

Exhibition

Erró - The Game

Exhibition

A New Art Emerges

Exhibition

Jór! Horses in Icelandic Art

Exhibition

A Drawing Competition

Exhibition