History & Role
The National Museum was established on February 24th, 1863. Up until that time Icelandic relics had been kept in Danish collections. During the first decades it was housed in several attics in Reykjavík but at the establishment of the republic in 1944, Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament decided to build a house for the National Museum. Sigurður Guðmundsson designed the building at Suðurgata, which is now one of the main landmarks of the city.
Jón Árnason librarian was made curator of the Icelandic collection. Several months later Jón hired another curator; Sigurður Guðmundsson 'the painter,' who had been the first to advocate for the establishment of an antiquarian collection in Iceland. The museum was called the Antiquarian Collection up until 1911. During the first decades it was housed in several attics in Reykjavík - in the Cathedral, House of Corrections, Parliament, and National Bank - and finally the attic of the National Library building on Hverfisgata (now the Culture House) for four decades.
In 1907, laws were enacted to protect antiquities and restrict their exportation from the country. In 1911, the museum was officially named the National Museum of Iceland (Þjóðminjasafn Íslands), though it had previously been called the Antiquities Collection (Forngripasafnið). During its early decades, the museum was housed in various attics in Reykjavík, including those of the Cathedral, the Prison on Skólavörðustígur, the Parliament Building, and the Landsbanki Íslands building on Austurstræti. In 1908, it was moved to the attic of the National Library on Hverfisgata (now the Culture House) and remained there for a full four decades.
During its first nine decades, the museum focused primarily on collecting archaeological artifacts, church relics, and other artistic objects from later centuries. Half a century after the preservation of its first fifteen artifacts, the collection had grown to over six thousand items. The museum also received several special collections associated with notable individuals, such as Jón Sigurðsson (the leader of Iceland's independence movement) and his wife Ingibjörg Einarsdóttir; bank director Tryggvi Gunnarsson; Consul Jón Vídalín and his wife Helga; professors Þóra and Þorvaldur Thoroddsen; Professor Willard Fiske; and Andrés Johnsen, a barber and antiquities collector in Ásbúð, Hafnarfjörður. One of the museum's special collections, the Ásbúð Collection, includes approximately 20,000 items.
In connection with the Alþingi Millennial Festival in 1930, Danish authorities returned around 200 Icelandic treasures from Danish museums, and numerous Icelandic artifacts were also received from Norway.Upon the establishment of the Republic of Iceland in 1944, the Alþingi (Parliament) decided to construct a dedicated building for the museum. Architect Sigurður Guðmundsson was commissioned to design the structure on Suðurgata, which has since become one of Reykjavík's most prominent landmarks. The National Museum moved to Suðurgata in 1950.
After 1950, the museum began collecting everyday utilitarian objects that were not primarily artistic in nature. Over the decades, the collection of various tools and household items expanded significantly, and in the 1970s, the museum began acquiring objects related to technological history.
The Collection Centre currently houses approximately 300,000 items. These include items from everyday life, such as tools, clothing, jewellery, household furnishings, lighting fixtures, chests, drinking horns, and other carved objects. The collection also preserves various church artifacts, such as altarpieces, statues, pulpits, vestments, altar cloths, and communion utensils. Additionally, the museum houses an array of technological artifacts, including machinery, cars, and boats. A significant portion of the collection consists of archaeological finds, which, according to law, must be preserved at the National Museum of Iceland.
The Photograph and Print Collection is the Museum's largest category, containing approximately eight million images. This collection includes a selection of Icelandic photographs of people and daily life from the advent of photography in 1839 to the early 21st century. The collection also features some of the best-preserved drawings and painted portraits of Icelandic individuals and scenes of daily life from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
The National Museum of Iceland oversees numerous historic buildings across the country, with The House Collection, forming the core of its holdings in rural areas.
In addition, the National Museum operates the Ethnology Collection (Ethnographic Collection), which systematically gathers documentation on the lifestyles of Icelanders, both past and present.
In 1998, extensive renovations and modifications began on the museum building at Suðurgata. During the renovations, the National Museum's other activities continued uninterrupted, contributing to various special exhibitions both in Iceland and abroad. The newly renovated National Museum at Suðurgata, featuring new permanent and temporary exhibitions, reopened on September 1, 2004.Following its reopening, the museum was nominated to compete in the European Museum of the Year Award 2006, organized by the European Museum Forum (EMF). This competition recognizes museums that have undergone significant renovations, reorganization, or have been newly established within the past two years.
The National Museum of Iceland was one of three institutions to receive a Special Commendation in 2006.In the same year, the museum was also recognized by Sjálfsbjörg, the Icelandic Association of People with Disabilities, for its exemplary accessibility. Special emphasis had been placed on ensuring accessibility for all during the renovation, and the award confirmed the success of these efforts. Today, the National Museum's operations are based in three locations: Vesturvör in Kópavogur, Tjarnarvellir in Hafnarfjörður, and Suðurgata in Reykjavík. All exhibitions and public events are held at the Suðurgata location.
Directors of the Antiquarian Collection
Jón Árnason 1863-1882
Sigurður Guðmundsson 1863-1874
Sigurður Vigfússon 1878-1892
Pálmi Pálsson 1892-1896
Jón Jakobsson 1896-1907
Directors of the National Museum of Iceland:
Matthías Þórðarson 1907-1947
Kristján Eldjárn 1947-1968
Þór Magnússon 1968-2000
Margrét Hallgrímsdóttir 2000-2022
Harpa Þórsdóttir 2022 - today
Acting directors of the National Museum of Iceland:
Guðmundur Magnússon 1992-1994
Anna Guðný Ásgeirsdóttir og Anna Lísa Rúnarsdóttir 2014-2015
Þorbjörg Gunnarsdóttir 2022
Role & policy
The National Museum of Iceland is the national centre for the preservation and management of cultural heritage. Its activities are diverse, reflecting its legal obligations such as to collect, preserve, and research the cultural heritage of the nation. The museum employs scholars for research, provides advisory services to other museums, publishes books on research and exhibitions, and conducts extensive educational activities. In addition, it shares the cultural heritage with hundreds of visitors every day at Suðurgata.
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The National Museum is state-funded and operates according to laws. As one of Iceland's three principal museums, it functions as a central institution within its field, with responsibilities and obligations to other museums. These include coordinating collaborations, offering support, and form strategies for other museums.
The role of the National Museum of Iceland and regional folk museums is to collect, document, preserve, and research cultural heritage, including artifacts, church relics, artworks, utilitarian objects, as well as photographs, audio recordings, and documented sources about national customs, and to present them both domestically and internationally. Such heritage may also include buildings deemed of value.
The National Museum should support research on Icelandic cultural history and the publication of scholarly works on the subject. The museum shall safeguard decommissioned church relics and other artifacts agreed upon by the museum and church authorities as no longer necessary for use in churches.
Educational outreach is a significant and integral part of the museum's mission. School visits at all levels have been a longstanding tradition, and university students in museum studies, history, art history, anthropology, and archaeology find opportunities for engagement within the museum's premises.
The main exhibition of the National Museum of Iceland, Making of a Nation aims to provide insight into the cultural history of the nation from the settlement era to modern times.
The exhibitions of the National Museum are intended to reflect its diverse roles and the ongoing research conducted within the institution.
