On 17 October 2026, the National Gallery of Iceland in Reykjavík opened the exhibition “Where the Light Lives: Ukrainian Icons Through the Centuries”. The display features 32 icons from the collection of the National Art Museum of Ukraine (NAMU), created between the late 12th and early 19th centuries. NAMU’s press service reported this.
According to the organisers, this is the first time in the museum’s history that its icon collection has been exhibited outside Ukraine. Most of the works on show have never previously left the country. Visitors to the National Gallery of Iceland now have the opportunity to discover Ukrainian sacred art, its centuries-long history and distinctive artistic traditions.
The exhibition traces the development of Ukrainian icon painting over seven centuries — from Byzantine influences to the adoption of Gothic and Renaissance traditions and the flourishing of the Baroque. The works on display show how the visual language of Ukrainian sacred art evolved, retaining its own distinctive features while developing in close connection with European culture.
The project was delivered in collaboration between the National Gallery of Iceland, the National Museum of Iceland and the National Art Museum of Ukraine, with support from Iceland’s Ministry of Culture and Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Preparation for the exhibition took more than a year.
“The idea for this project arose from a desire to support our colleagues in Ukraine while also making Ukrainian cultural heritage visible to an international audience. We are fortunate to live in one of the most peaceful countries in the world, and we wanted to extend a helping hand to colleagues who have been working for several years in extremely difficult circumstances,” said Ingibjörg Jóhannsdóttir, Director of the National Gallery of Iceland.
Before the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the works presented in Iceland were part of the museum’s permanent display, which had to be dismantled in 2022 for safekeeping. Since then, a significant part of the museum’s collection has remained inaccessible to visitors.
The exhibition’s curator is Oleksandra Shevliuga, Head of the Department of Ancient Art at the National Art Museum of Ukraine.
The exhibition “Where the Light Lives: Ukrainian Icons Through the Centuries” will run for a year — until 17 October 2027. After it ends, the works will remain in Iceland in responsible safekeeping until the security situation allows them to be returned to Ukraine.