On 17 October, the exhibition “Where Light Resides: Ukrainian Icons Through the Centuries” opened at the National Gallery of Iceland in Reykjavík, showcasing 32 rare icons from the collection of the National Art Museum of Ukraine (NAMU).
For the first time in the history of our museum, a collection of icons is being exhibited outside Ukraine. Most of the works on display had never previously left the country.
The exhibition spans seven centuries of Ukrainian icon painting, from the late 12th to the early 19th century. Tracing Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque influences, it reveals the distinctive character of Ukrainian sacred art and its connections with broader European artistic traditions.
This project holds special significance for us. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the icons on display formed part of NAMU’s permanent exhibition, which had to be dismantled in 2022 to safeguard the collection. Now, these works are once again accessible to the public — this time, thousands of kilometres from Ukraine.
The exhibition is the result of more than a year of collaboration between the National Art Museum of Ukraine, the National Gallery of Iceland and the National Museum of Iceland, with support from Iceland’s Ministry of Culture and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
We extend our sincere thanks to our Icelandic partners for their solidarity, trust and support for Ukrainian cultural heritage.
The exhibition is curated by Oleksandra Shevliuga, PhD in Art History and Head of the Department of Ancient Art at NAMU.
The exhibition’s atmosphere is enriched by music from the Ukrainian Baroque period, which plays throughout the galleries. We are grateful to OPEN OPERA UKRAINE and the PARTES Ensemble for generously providing recordings of these musical works free of charge, adding another dimension to the experience of Ukrainian art.
The exhibition runs until 17 October 2027.
Photography: Elísa B. Guðmundsdóttir
