Iceland review - 2004, Qupperneq 62

ICELAND REVIEW SUPPLEMENT / 60
TRACES OF HISTORY
The Culture House
For a look into Iceland’s past, visit the beautiful
Culture House. This listed building is a unique venue
for promoting Icelandic history and cultural her-
itage. Exhibitions in the Culture House emphasise in
particular the history and culture of Iceland, the
country’s independence and governance, as well as
its ancient and modern literature. In the building
there are facilities for exhibitions, meetings, gather-
ings, lectures, art events, public ceremonies and
other occasions. The Culture House restaurant and
souvenir shops are located on the ground floor.
Many of Iceland’s national treasures are on display
as part of the Culture House’s featured exhibition:
Medieval Manuscripts – Eddas and Sagas. It includes
the principal medieval manuscripts, such as Codex
Regius of the Poetic Edda and the compendium
Flateyjarbók, as well as law codices and Christian
works, and the Icelandic Sagas.
The Culture House
Hverfisgata 15, 101 Reykjavík
www.thjodmenning.is
LAKESIDE ART
The National Gallery
This beautiful white building by the city
pond, Tjörnin, houses the National
Gallery – the country’s largest collection
of works by all major Icelandic artists of
the 19th and 20th centuries. The gallery
also exhibits a collection of works by
notable international artists, including
Pablo Picasso, Edvard Munch, Karel
Appel and Hans Hartung, to name but a
few, as well as leading contemporary
Icelandic artists. Also worth a visit are
the charming café on the second floor,
with its pretty lakeside views, and the
excellent museum shop, which sells an
interesting collection of Icelandic
designs. Featured this year are an exhi-
bition of contemporary American art
including works by Jeff Koons and Andy
Warhol, an exhibition of works by
young Icelandic artists and the gallery’s
anniversary exhibition in autumn 2004,
which focuses on the preservation of
paintings and artwork.
The National Gallery of Iceland
Fríkirkjuvegur 7, 101 Reykjavík,
tel. (+354) 515-9610
www.listasafn.is
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