Overview
About Einar Jónsson Museum
An artist’s house and collection
The museum opened to the public in 1923 in Hnitbjörg, a building designed by Einar Jónsson himself. Einar and his wife Anna lived there for decades, so the setting preserves a connection between his domestic life and artistic work. The museum is associated with the emergence of sculpture as an important part of Icelandic public art, with Jónsson recognised as one of its pioneering figures.
Folklore, spirituality and sculpture
Jónsson drew on folk narratives, spiritual thought and mysticism. His sculpture repeatedly explores the relationship between bodily existence and the life of the spirit, giving the works meanings beyond straightforward portraiture or historical commemoration. The garden behind the museum contains bronze casts of his sculptures. Seeing the figures in an outdoor setting offers a different encounter with their forms from the enclosed spaces of the museum.
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