Reykjavik and its Museums
Day 13, 14th August 2023
This was our last day in Reykjavik, and time to explore the museums. First we walked to the Hallgrimskirkja which is a stunning piece of architecture. Having now seen the basalt columns all around Iceland, one can see their influence in the outer facade of the church. The statue in front of the church is of Leifur Eirksson (Leif Ericsson) who is believed to be the first European to arrive in America in the year 1,000, preceding Christopher Columbus by 500 years!
And now it was time to photograph the iconic Sun Yoyager. You need a lot of patience here to wait for others to stop climbing over the sculpture or posing for ages to have their Instagram moment.
Our first goal today was to visit the National Museum of Iceland. But we had to pass the Hong of an Artist on the way, so had a quick look inside the house of one of Iceland's most famous painters Asgrimur Jonsson. Our ticket for the National Gallery of Iceland which we visited on Day 11 gave us entry to two additional gallery spaces. Then it was a long walk to the museum, which like all the museums we had visited in Iceland, was very well appointed. The displays were in chronological style covering the complete known history of the country, with plenty of oral histories to listen to as well as interactive displays. Below are images of just a couple of items on display. On the left is a lady's riding outfit. Apparently they wore their hair high, so needed a tall hat! And on the right is the end of a beautifully carved whale bone (I think?)
Hats did seem to be a 'thing' if this portrait of the Bishop of Holar and his three wives is anything to go by. This picture was painted in 1685, and the bishop's first two wives died before him. The museum has displays of the interiors of old churches with fine carvings and textiles. Anyone could build a church and then demand a tythe from the locals, so running a church was quite a profitable line of business.
On the ground floor of the museum was a temporary photographic exhibition. Perhaps the most poignant images were those of children playing in the streets in the 1960-1970's as this is something you rarely see in European towns today.
The third art gallery to visit was The House of Collections in the town centre. This was a beautiful classic building with lots of rooms for individual collections of modern art. Having spent two weeks driving around Iceland, I was well aware of the variety of cloud formations seen everyday. So I really liked the room highlighting Icelandic clouds! And then there was a space showing the properties of light, so you can see our self portraits in the photos below.
Reykjavik is a very pleasant city to walk around as there is always something interesting to see around any corner. And there are plenty of street cafes where you can sit and watch the world go by. And if you enjoy history and art, then Reykjavik has plenty to keep you occupied. Its Viking roots are on display everywhere, and the Icelander's relationship with authority is neatly summed up in one of the many sculptures dotted around the city called 'The Unknown Bureaucrat'.
