A number of Ukrainian religious icons are now on display at the National Gallery of Iceland (Listasafn Íslands) in Reykjavík. It is the first time these artworks have been exhibited outside Ukraine. The works come from the collection of the Museum of Ukraine in Kyiv and are part of a special exhibition that opened last weekend. The story was first reported by RÚV.
The Museum of Ukraine in Kyiv recently closed its doors. According to RÚV, conditions at the Kyiv museum have significantly deteriorated, with not a single window pane remaining intact at the site. The exhibition in Reykjavík gives these icons international exposure at a time when their original home is inaccessible and damaged.
A press release states that this is the first time these artworks have left Ukraine. “This is the first time these unique artworks are shown outside their homeland,” the release said. The exhibition is organised in cooperation with the National Museum of Iceland (Þjóðminjasafn Íslands) as part of efforts to protect Ukrainian cultural heritage and strengthen ties between the two countries, according to the release cited by Vísir.
Víðsjá, an Icelandic cultural radio programme, interviewed the director of the National Gallery of Iceland about the exhibition. Full details of the interview have not yet been published.
Background
The National Gallery of Iceland is an art museum in Reykjavík. It was established in 1884 in Copenhagen by Björn Bjarnarson. Its collection spans 16,000 works and is located across three locations, with the main building at Fríkirkjuvegur 7 housing exhibition halls, a café, and an art store. The National Museum of Iceland, established in 1863 and located at Suðurgata 41 in Reykjavík since 1950, focuses on Icelandic history and holds around 2,000 artefacts including the Valþjófsstaður door.
Sources
- RÚV (first reported) in Icelandic
- Vísir in Icelandic
Image: Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · licence, original (resized) Illustrative image.
