Selárdalur and Samúel Jónsson's Art Museum
About Selárdalur and Samúel Jónsson's Art Museum
Selárdalur is a remote valley on the outer shore of Arnarfjörður in the Westfjords, home to the outdoor art museum of Samúel Jónsson at the farm Brautarholt. Concrete lions, seals and human figures stand in the grass beside a small church and a museum building he made himself, with the fjord opening to the sea behind them.
Samúel Jónsson (1884–1969) farmed at Brautarholt and had no formal art training. He started building once he began drawing his old-age pension, and these sculptures and buildings were his last projects. He became known as the artist with the child's heart, and the work has that same open, slightly naive charm.
The best-known piece is a ring of lions around a fountain, copied from a postcard of the Lion Fountain at the Alhambra in Spain. Nearby are seals, a seahorse, a duck carrying her ducklings and a statue of the explorer Leifur Eiríksson. Samúel also built his own church to house an altarpiece he had made after the parish church turned it down.
After his death the site stood empty and the weather did serious damage. An association formed in 1998 has since repaired the sculptures and buildings and rebuilt his house, and in summer it runs a reception where you can get coffee, buy souvenirs and join a guided tour. The valley was also home to Gísli á Uppsölum, a farmer who lived alone at Uppsalir and became known across Iceland after a 1981 television program.
To get to Selárdalur, drive Route 619 west from Bíldudalur along the fjord for about 24 kilometers. It is a narrow gravel road and takes about 45 minutes each way, so plan on at least two hours for the round trip and a walk around the sculptures. The reception at Brautarholt is open in June, July and August, which is also the best time to visit.
Good to know
Where is Selárdalur?
Selárdalur is a valley on the south shore of outer Arnarfjörður in the Westfjords, west of Bíldudalur. The art museum is at the farm Brautarholt, reached on Route 619.
Who was Samúel Jónsson?
Samúel Jónsson (1884–1969) was a farmer at Brautarholt in Selárdalur who taught himself to paint and sculpt. In retirement he built a museum, a church and a garden of concrete sculptures, which are now restored as a museum.
How do you get to Selárdalur from Bíldudalur?
Follow Route 619 west from Bíldudalur along the shore of Arnarfjörður for about 24 kilometers. The gravel road is narrow, and the drive takes about 45 minutes.
When is Samúel Jónsson's Art Museum open?
The sculptures stand outdoors, and the reception at Brautarholt is open in June, July and August. In season you can get coffee, buy souvenirs and join a guided tour.
What is the Selárdalur church?
Samúel Jónsson built his own small church at Brautarholt to house an altarpiece he had made. The parish church had declined to use it, so he built a church around it instead.
Who was Gísli á Uppsölum?
Gísli á Uppsölum (1907–1986) was a farmer who lived alone at Uppsalir in Selárdalur. He became known across Iceland after a 1981 television program about his way of life.
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