The Einar Jónsson Museum

About The Einar Jónsson Museum

The Einar Jónsson Museum is the home, studio and sculpture collection of Einar Jónsson (1874–1954), the pioneer of Icelandic sculpture, on Skólavörðuholt hill right next to Hallgrímskirkja in central Reykjavík. Einar designed the blocky, fortress-like building, called Hnitbjörg, himself, and it opened to the public in 1923.

Most visitors walk past it on their way to the church tower, which is a shame. His work pulls from Icelandic folklore, mythology and his own spiritual ideas, and much of it explores the tension between the physical and spiritual worlds. Expect large plaster figures and heavy symbolism rather than gentle portrait busts.

The current exhibition, Spirit and Materiality, runs from January 2026 to January 2028. You can also step into the apartment where Einar and his wife Anna lived, with their furniture still in place.

The sculpture garden behind the museum is the part almost everyone can fit in. It holds 26 bronze casts of his works among trees and paths, and it's open to the public year-round, day and night, at no charge. If you're already at Hallgrímskirkja, it takes five minutes to walk through, even late in the evening.

The museum is now part of the National Gallery of Iceland and is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm. A single ticket to the Einar Jónsson sculpture museum costs ISK 1,500, visitors under 18 get in free, and seniors and students get a discount. A combined ticket for ISK 2,900 also covers the National Gallery's other exhibitions. Give yourself about an hour for the house and garden, and pair it with a walk down Skólavörðustígur toward Laugavegur.