Menningarnótt 2026🎉| Culture Night 2026 🎉

Culture Night 2026 🎉🎉🎉

Welcome to the National Gallery of Iceland museums on Culture Night

📍 Fríkirkjuvegur 📍 The House of Collections 📍 Einar Jónsson Museum

Open: 10:00–22:00

Free admission

📍The House of Collections, Hverfisgata 15

➡️ 5 PM

Guided Tour in Words and Music

Stand Still and Turn to Stone! – Icelandic Folklore in Art

Join curator Ragnheiður Vignisdóttir and cellist Hrafnhildur Marta Guðmundsdóttir for a guided tour of the exhibition Stand Still and Turn to Stone!

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the rich visual world of Icelandic folklore has been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Icelandic artists. The exhibition presents selected works from the National Gallery of Iceland's collection that explore folk tales and their mythical universe in diverse ways. Works by Ásgrímur Jónsson provide a recurring thread throughout the tour, as visitors journey through the exhibition's ghost, elf, and troll galleries, accompanied by storytelling and live music.

➡️ 8 PM –9:30 PM

Tango at the House of Collections

Experience the magic of Argentine tango on Culture Night!

The Icelandic Tango Association invites you to a welcoming milonga where everyone is invited—whether you've never taken a tango step, have been dancing for years, or simply want to enjoy beautiful music.

The evening begins with a short introduction for beginners, covering the basic steps and fundamentals of tango. Afterwards, the dance floor opens for everyone, giving experienced dancers the chance to enjoy the music while newcomers are encouraged to join in and try their first steps.

A wonderful opportunity to discover this captivating dance tradition in the beautiful surroundings of the House of Collections.

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📍 Einar Jónsson Museum, Hallgrímstorg 3

➡️ 6 PM

The Kvisslarinn Culture Quiz

An open-air quiz in the garden of the Einar Jónsson Museum.

The evening's theme is Icelandic culture and our beautiful city of Reykjavík, revisiting some of the most memorable moments in its history through lively and entertaining questions.

Prizes will be awarded to the top teams! The quiz is free and open to everyone.

➡️ 9 PM

Guided Tour in Words and Music at the Einar Jónsson Museum

Join the National Gallery of Iceland specialists Þóra Sigurbjörnsdóttir and Silja Pálmarsdóttir, together with Lilja Hákonardóttir, for a guided tour of selected works in the exhibition Spirit and Materiality at the Einar Jónsson Museum.

Spirit and Materiality offers a unique insight into the artistic vision of sculptor Einar Jónsson. The exhibition is housed in Hnitbjörg, the remarkable building that Einar designed himself, where he both lived and worked. Visitors can also explore the sculpture garden behind the museum, where 26 bronze casts of Einar's works are displayed in a lush garden open to the public. Inside the museum, Einar and Anna Jónsson's extraordinary apartment has been preserved, allowing visitors to experience its original character, distinctive style, and personal furnishings.

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📍 National Gallery of Iceland, Fríkirkjuvegur 7

Currently on view:

➡️ Echolalia by Björk

The National Gallery of Iceland presents an exhibition of Björk, the visionary musician whose work keeps pushing conventional boundaries, interweaving art, nature, and technology with restless experimentation.

Three songs are presented at the museum on a theatrical scale for the first time – two elegiac works – Ancestress and Sorrowful Soil – composed and arranged by Björk in honour of her mother, are accompanied by a new work; Nerve Bloom, derived from the artist’s forthcoming album.

Ancestress reckons with the cyclical nature of life. Set in a remote valley in Iceland, the lamentation is staged as a ritualistic procession of musicians and dancers.

Sorrowful Soil is a 9-part choral work – a requiem where canon-like melodies tumble amongst 3 groups of singers in a polychoral way. Thirty speakers each transmit a single voice from the Hamrahlíð choir, conducted by Þorgerður Ingólfsdóttir.

➡️ Metamorphlings by James Merry

James Merry: Metamorphlings is the first museum retrospective of the artist’s work. Comprising over 80 artworks, the exhibition offers a window into the evolution of Merry’s artistic output over the past decade. During this time, he has developed a body of work centered on the mask – operating as a conduit for transformation, a catalyst for performance, and a portal through which identity can mutate. The exhibition focuses on the moment of metamorphosis when form and self are fluid.

The masks on view showcase Merry’s craftsmanship, which uniquely blends traditional techniques with contemporary, avant-garde expressions. Visitors encounter works in a range of mediums: embroidery, metalwork, 3D printing, jewelry, and interactive digital displays. Collectively, these works – the Metamorphlings – form a family of shape-shifting creations that can offer a deeper insight into Merry’s unending fascination with the natural world, as well as his abiding interest in archaeology and ancient ritual.