Reykjavik Sculpture Tour
If it’s not for the abundance of street art and colourful buildings adding a touch of quirkiness to Reykjavik, it’s the sculptures.
There are many striking and interesting sculptures and statues to discover around the city. Alongside their unique appearance, they each carry their own story and interpretation.
If you’re looking for something free and fun to do in Reykjavik, a self-guide art and sculpture tour is a great way to explore the city.
Here’s a collection of my favourite sculptures and where to find them.
Unknown Bureaucrat (1993)
Beginning with my favourite is this sculpture possibly depicting an employee imprisoned by the rigmarole of work. The block of rock is a perfect metaphor for the burden of work that bears little satisfaction, while at the same time depicting the narrative of the faceless official who is only a cog in the wheel, and never a person to most of us.
By: Magnús Tómasson
Location: Northbank of Tjörnin, by entrance of City Hall
Roots (2000)
Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir (1955–) is most well known for her life-sized, anonymous, and nude sculptures dotted around Reykjavik. You can find Roots (2000) installed on the sidewalk of a busy shopping street, focusing on the torso and head of two figures, who are encased in rectangular blocks of bronze – or some say they could be suitcases.
These subjects are like the inverse of the Unknown Bureaucrat, and though the two figures face each other, one gazes upwards and the other peers at the ground. They are incapable of moving as residents, workers, and tourists buzz around them. Alienation is often a theme of Thórarinsdóttir’s work.
By: Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir
Location: Bankastræti
Sun Voyager (1990)
Positioned beautifully overlooking the Kollafjörður fjord, this sculpture is often mistakenly interpreted as a Viking Ship or whale, but the Sun Voyager is actually an ode to the sun, and said to represent a promise of an uninhabited country as well as hope, search, progress and freedom.
By: Jón Gunnar
Location: Rekagrandi 14
Water Carrier (1937)
Originally this statue was strongly opposed in the city centre, as Ásmundur’s style was considered controversial in the eyes of Icelanders and this female form was not deemed beautiful enough so it was placed in less prominent locations around Reykjavík.
Thankfully, discussions around beauty have broadened over time and it was recently moved to the corner of Bankastraeti and Laekjargata, where it was originally intended.Its pyramid form suggests strength and stability, which is important, since the image depicts the women who carried water year-round to every household in town, whatever the weather.
By: Ásmundur Sveinsson (1937)
Location: Bernhöftstorfan, Lækjargata
Boy and Girl (1937)
Sculptor Þorbjörg Pálsdóttir is considered a pioneer, being one of the first recognised female sculptors in Iceland. Here, she depicts her teenage children, Kata and Stebbi. The son appears leaning against a lamp post in a carefree manner while his sister sits still with her hands closed together, seemingly in deep thought.
By: Þorbjörg Pálsdóttir
Location: East Bank of Tjörnin, “Perlufestin”, Hljómskálagarður
Mothers' Love (1928)
The aptly titled sculpture ‘Mother’s Love’ (1928) is located inside ‘Mothers’ Garden’ in Reykjavik. It is a sculpture by Iceland’s first professional female sculptor, Nina Sæmundsson who was born in 1892 and died in 1965. This garden was intended as a recreational park for mothers in Reykjavik and their children. Interestingly it was the first statue in a public place in Reykjavik which is not a monument to a prominent male figure. Nearby, you will also find another sculpture by Sæmundsson in the form of a mermaid appearing out from the waters of Tjörnin pond.
By: Nina Sæmundsson
Location: Mæðragarður (Mothers Garden), Lækjargata
Accommodation in Reykjavik
The Reykjavik EDITION: If you’re looking for Reykjavik’s swankiest boutique hotel, this is definitely it. Recommended for those with a higher budget looking for luxury. It’s one of only two 5* hotels in the city.
Hotel Reykjavik Centrum: This centrally positioned hotel is located in a beautifully restored historical building with lots of character. The rooms are spacious and the breakfast is superb! Recommended for those with a medium-sized budget.
Fosshotel Reykjavik: This Reykjavik’s biggest hotel but it still manages to maintain a cosy atmosphere with cleverly curated design features and good lighting. It’s a modern Scandinavian hotel with a great atmosphere and some of you may be excited to know the bar has a wide range of Icelandic beers! This hotel is not as centrally located as the other two so for that reason you should find it more reasonably price. It is however, only a 10-minute walk away to the centre via the picturesque waterfront.
To find out more about Reykjavik take a dip into my archives.
2 Responses
I’d like to know the name of the sculpture(composed of four figures) outside The Perlanin Reykjavík, Iceland.
Was it the works of Þorbjörg Pálsdóttir? I visited Iceland in 2013 and stayed for a few days.
My E-mail address: [email protected]
Regards.
Frank Zhao
Shanghai, China
I believe we encountered more Jón Gunnar Árnason works in Homavík, Stykkishólmar, Grindavík, and Akureyri. I cannot find any reference to these other sculptures. Are these his? And are there others we missed around Iceland?