Reykjavík Museum of Photography ( ), in Reykjavík, Iceland, preserves about five million photographs by professional and amateur photographers, from around 1870 to the present century. The collection includes studio portraits, and industrial, advertising, press, landscape and family photographs.
History The museum began in 1981 from a private collection and was originally called Ljósmyndasafnið hf. Its name was changed to the Reykjavík Museum of Photography in 1987, when the city of Reykjavík took over its operations."Borgin kaupir ljósmyndasafnið", Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic) (91) 23 April 1987, p. 20 Since 2000, the museum has been at Tryggvagata, in the same building as the Reykjavik city library.
From 2014, the museum has been merged with three other museums belonging to Reykjavík: Vikin Maritime Museum, Minjasafn Reykjavíkur (the Settlement Exhibition and Árbær Open Air Museum) and Viðey. Two historical museums, Árbæjarsafn and Reykjavík 871±2, also belong to this consortium."Fjögur söfn sameinuð í Reykjavík", RÚV.- "About Reykjavik City Museum". Reykjavík City Museum.
Activities The museum's aim is to "awaken the widest possible interest in the cultural role of photography"."Art museums ", Center for Icelandic Art.
The museum nominates Icelandic photographers for the following awards:"Tilnefningar til alþjóðlegra Ljósmyndaverðlauna". Museum blog, 10 December 2009. "Dagbók í myndum." Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic) (144) 29 May 2009. p. 41 Hasselblad Award Leopold Godowsky Jr. Color Photography Award Deutsche Börse Photography Prize
The museum has published a number of books.Móðirin í íslenskum ljósmyndum = Mothers in Icelandic Photographs (2000, ); Magnús Ólafsson: Ljósmyndari = Magnús Ólafsson: Photographer (2003, ). For several years starting in 1998, the museum held an annual lecture on 10 May in memory of the photographer (photographs); these were published the following year ("Reykjavik Museum of Photography ", Iceland Guest).
In 2014 the museum was named one of "The ten best free museums in Europe" in The Guardian.Will Coldwell, "10 of the best free museums in Europe", The Guardian, 21 January 2014.
Collection
The museum collects photographs and other material related to photographers of the Reykjavík area. It also acquires and preserves photographs, albums and other items of vernacular photographic culture."Collection ", Ljósmyndasafn Reykjavíkur
Exhibitions Each year, the museum holds about three main exhibitions and more than ten smaller shows.
A few highlights from previous exhibitions: Henri Cartier-Bresson – Paris (2001)"Margir skoðuðu myndir Cartier-Bresson", Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic) (92) 25. April 2001. p. 65 Mary Ellen Mark – American Odyssey (2002)"Einn þekktasti ljósmyndari heims", Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic) (114) 17 May 2002. p. 70- "Fólkið á jaðrinum", Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic) (105) 10 May 2002, p. 15 Viggo Mortensen – Skovbo (2008)"Viggo Mortensen Photo Exhibit", Reykjavík Grapevine (6) 17 May 2008. p. 33 André Kertész – Ma France (2010)"Art Galleries and museums" Reykjavík Grapevine (17) 6 November 2009. p. 19- "Sýningu á verkum Kertész lýkur senn", Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic) (9) 13 January 2010. p. 27 Marc Riboud – 50 years of photography (2011)"Riboud í 50 ár" Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic) (202) 31. August 2011. p. 34 Ragnar Axelsson – Mirror of Life (2014)"Gallery: Ragnar Axelsson: Mirror of Life ", Ljósmyndasafn Reykjavíkur.- "Mirror of life: Photographs by Ragnar Axelsson ", Reykjavík Artfest. Lauren Greenfield – Girl Culture (2014–2015)"Art ongoing", Reykjavík Grapevine (18) 5. December 2014. p. 49 Thomas Kellner – Black and White (2017)
Notes
References
External links
The museum's website Minjasafn Reykjavíkur website Photographs from the collection on Fotoweb and Flickr The photo of the week from the collection A video introduction to the Reykjavík Museum of Photography, YouTube