National Gallery of Iceland
A former freezing plant now holds 16,000 works of Icelandic art — and a live forgery scandal.
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Founded in Copenhagen in 1884, the collection was already on display in Reykjavik's Parliament building by 1885 — but it moved through three different homes over the following century before landing at Fríkirkjuvegur 7 in 1987. The main building there was designed by architect Guðjón Samúelsson as a freezing plant in 1916 — the industrial bones are still readable. Rotating exhibitions mix Icelandic and foreign artists across three floors, and a 2023 forgery investigation means some works on display are still under scrutiny.
What to look for
- The 1916 Guðjón Samúelsson building — look for the structure's industrial origins repurposed as gallery space
- The rotating exhibition halls across three floors, which shift between the permanent Icelandic collection and individual artist shows
- The later building addition by architect Garðar Halldórsson, which contrasts with the original freezing-plant volume
Three floors of exhibition space plus a café at Fríkirkjuvegur 7; offices and the specialist library are in the adjacent building at Laufásvegur 12.
National Gallery of Iceland is one of 17 sights worth the detour in Reykjavik, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Reykjavik pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Reykjavik
- HallgrímskirkjaA 74-metre church modeled on Iceland's volcanic basalt columns — 41 years in the making, visible from nearly anywhere in the city.
- Icelandic Phallological MuseumOne exhibit needs a magnifying glass; another once measured 170 cm. Both are real.
- LaugardalsvöllurThe city that dreamed of a sporting venue in 1871 — when Reykjavík held just 2,000 people — finally opened a football stadium here in 1959.
- National Museum of IcelandA carved wooden door where a knight slays a dragon and gains a lion as his companion — and that is the headline object.
- Bessastaðir — Presidential ResidenceSnorri Sturluson farmed here in the 1200s. Turkish slave raiders attacked in 1627. Today the president of Iceland calls it home.
- Imagine Peace TowerA column of light rises 4,000 metres into the Arctic sky from a wishing well on a small island — Yoko Ono's memorial to John Lennon, running on geothermal power.