Treasures of a Nation
The work of the National Gallery of Iceland is grounded in an extensive collection of works of art – a collection which is constantly growing, both due to the gallery’s mandated art purchases, and to generous gifts from donors. One of the gallery’s most important functions is to create the best possible collection of Icelandic art, as provided in the National Gallery of Iceland Act – to faithfully reflect trends and movements in Icelandic and international art at any time.
The collection now comprises about 13,500 works of art, which are diverse in size and nature, spanning continuously the period of the 20th century and the first decades of the 21st. Only a small proportion of the collection is accessible to the public in the National Gallery itself or in exhibitions elsewhere. While the majority of the works are stored out of public view, images and information are accessible on the Icelandic museums website sarpur.is
The National Gallery of Iceland has long been short of space, especially with regard to facilities for conservation work. Today the collection has
expanded beyond the capacity of the gallery’s repositories, and facilities are inadequate for providing necessary care for the works of art.
We are responding to this problem by setting up a temporary workspace in this exhibition space, in order to provide care to the works and provide a better environment for gallery staff to do their work. Visitors to the gallery will have the opportunity to see for themselves processes that are usually hidden behind closed doors, such as assessment of the condition of works of art, cataloguing, photography, preventive conservation and preparation for storage. This is a unique opportunity for visitors to the gallery to learn about important elements of the work of the National Gallery, Iceland’s principal museum in the field of visual art – which is entrusted with the conservation of Iceland’s art heritage.