The House of Collections

About The House of Collections

The House of Collections (Safnahúsið) is an exhibition venue of the National Gallery of Iceland at Hverfisgata 15 in downtown Reykjavík, right beside the National Theatre and a few minutes' walk from Harpa. Icelandic folktales, climate questions and a century of national art share its handsome old rooms.

The building has a story of its own. Danish architect Johannes Magdahl Nielsen designed it, and it went up between 1906 and 1908 to hold the National Library and the National Archives, later sharing space with two national museums. The library was the last to move out, in 1994, and the historic interior is half the reason to come.

The long-running exhibition Resistance fills the House of Collections in Reykjavík until March 2028. It draws on the gallery's own collection to look at sustainability, consumption and climate through Icelandic art, and it was designed so that children can explore and create alongside the artworks. Through 2026 the building also shows Stay and Turn to Stone!, a selection of works inspired by Icelandic folktales by artists such as Ásgrímur Jónsson and Jóhannes S. Kjarval.

It's open every day from 10:00 to 17:00. A general ticket costs 2,500 ISK for adults and 1,250 ISK for students and seniors 67 and over, while under-18s and Reykjavík City Card holders get in free. The same ticket covers the National Gallery's main building on Fríkirkjuvegur by Tjörnin pond, about seven minutes away on foot.

Allow about an hour, longer if you have children who settle into the interactive rooms. The building has elevators and an accessible restroom on the ground floor. On a rainy afternoon in the city center, it combines easily with Arnarhóll, Harpa and the shops on Laugavegur, and most visitors simply walk here.