The Living Art Museum

What The Living Art Museum does

The Living Art Museum (Nýlistasafnið, also known as Nýló) is a private, artist-run, non-profit museum and exhibition space founded in 1978 in Reykjavík, Iceland, and among the oldest artist-supervised museums in Europe. It operates a contemporary art exhibition program out of Marshallhúsið (Marshall House) in the Grandi harbor district, supported by free admission, an annual membership model with voting rights at the general meeting, a Light Bazaar art sale, and unstated public and donor funding. Its permanent collection, built entirely through artist donations following exhibitions, comprises over 2,200 works by Icelandic and international artists spanning the 1960s to the present day, and is registered in Sarpur, the shared collections management platform used by more than 50 Icelandic institutions. The museum also maintains an archive documenting over 100 Icelandic artist-run spaces and initiatives (SÚM, Suðurgata 7, Gallerí Gangur, Kling og Bang, and others) along with a performance art archive, housed at Völvufell in Breiðholt, where deteriorating conditions and a planned building demolition have triggered a 2026 working group with Reykjavik Art Museum and the City of Reykjavik to plan replacement storage.

The museum's revenue is generated primarily through annual membership fees (4,300 ISK, raised from 3,900 ISK in 2025), donations of artworks to the collection, fundraising events, and implicit municipal support evidenced by the City of Reykjavik's co-leadership of the storage initiative. Programming spans rotating exhibitions, an annual open call for exhibition proposals, workshops, artist talks, a reading club, guided tours, and an annual cross-residency exchange with Artistes en résidence in Clermont Ferrand, France, supported by the French Embassy in Iceland and Alliance Francaise. Governance rests with an elected volunteer board whose current composition was set at the May 2026 Annual Meeting following several resignations and new elections.

The institution is now at an inflection point: the imminent loss of its Völvufell collection storage site, with the building scheduled for demolition and already suffering from damp, heating failures, and electrical unreliability, is the principal operational risk and the focus of its current strategic activity alongside the board restructuring. Operating revenues are not publicly disclosed; the membership tier and donations are the only quantified income streams in the source material.

Name

The Living Art Museum

Legal name

Nýlistasafnið

Website

https://nylo.is

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Living Art Museum (Nýlistasafnið) is an artist-run, non-profit museum and exhibition space founded in 1978 in Reykjavík, Iceland, serving artists, the general public, and researchers through rotating contemporary art exhibitions, a donation-based collection of 2,200+ works, archives of Icelandic artist-run spaces, and a France–Iceland residency exchange.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum / Cultural Institution

NAICS

Museums (712110)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), History, Heritage & Museum-Focused Study Tours (THAKAGAN)

Keywords

• Contemporary art museum
• Artist-run museum
• Exhibition space
• Art collection management
• Cultural programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Reykjavík

HQ country

Iceland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Annual membership fees from artists, art professionals, and supporters. Members have voting rights at the annual meeting and contribute to governance of the museum.
2. Art donations: The museum's collection is entirely donation-based. Artists who exhibit at the museum traditionally donate works to the collection, building a diverse body of work by Icelandic and international artists over 30+ years.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Living Art Museum (Nýlistasafnið) is an artist-run museum and exhibition space that preserves, exhibits, and researches contemporary art. It operates a donation-based collection of over 2,200 works by Icelandic and international artists spanning from the 1960s to the present, hosts rotating exhibitions at Marshallhúsið in Reykjavík, maintains archives on Iceland's artist-run spaces and performance art, and runs public programming including artist talks, workshops, guided tours, and an international cross-residency exchange with France.

Product overview

The Living Art Museum (Nýló) is an artist-run museum offering a unified portfolio of cultural services centered around its exhibition space at Marshallhúsið in Reykjavík. The museum's core offerings include rotating contemporary art exhibitions, a permanent collection of over 2,200 donated works, an archive documenting Iceland's artist-run spaces and performance art history, a rich events program featuring artist talks, workshops, and the Reading Club, annual open calls for exhibition proposals, and a cross-residency exchange program with Clermont Ferrand, France. All services are provided free of admission charge and serve as a grassroots platform for experimental contemporary art and international discourse.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exhibition Space at Marshallhúsið Primary exhibition venue offering contemporary art exhibitions, events, and educational programs to the public.
• The Living Art Museum Collection A donation-based collection of over 2,200 works by Icelandic and international artists spanning from the 1960s to the present day, documenting the history of contemporary art.
• Events Program Regular programming including artist talks, workshops, the Reading Club, performances, guided tours, film screenings, and special events held throughout the year.
• Archives and Research Facilities Research facilities located at Völvufell 13-21 in Breiðholt, housing documentation of artist-run spaces, art initiatives, and performance art in Iceland.
• Open Call for Exhibition Proposals Annual open application process inviting artists and curators to submit exhibition proposals for the museum's exhibition program.
• Cross-Residency Program Exchange residency program with Artistes en résidence in Clermont Ferrand, France, enabling artists based in Iceland to work abroad and hosting French artists in Iceland.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,200 works in the permanent collection
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Reykjavík Art MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Both museums are participating in a Working Group on the Future Arrangement of Storage Facilities for Art Museums. The group is exploring options for creating a comprehensive future vision for storage space for both institutions, and potentially also the National Gallery of Iceland. Led by Heiðar Kári Rannversson (Chairman of Nýló) and Arnfríður S. Valdimarsdóttir (Head of Cultural Affairs for City of Reykjavík).
• Artistes en résidence (Clermont Ferrand, France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-residency exchange program. Every year one artist travels from Iceland to France, and every year an artist from France is hosted in Iceland. Artists of all nationalities based in Iceland can apply for the residency in France.
• French Embassy in IcelandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner in the cross-residency exchange program with Artistes en résidence in Clermont Ferrand.
• Alliance Francaise (Iceland)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner in the cross-residency exchange program supporting cultural exchange between Iceland and France.
• Association of Icelandic Visual Artists (SÍM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the cross-residency exchange program. SÍM also oversees artist fee structures referenced by the museum.
• Sarpur (Icelandic Museum Collections System)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe museum's collection is registered with Sarpur, an online collections management system shared among over 50 museums and institutions in Iceland. The system provides public access to a registry of well over one million artworks and objects.
• Reykjavík Municipal ArchivesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical partner in the collection process. The history of the Living Art Museum has been preserved at The Reykjavík Municipal Archives since 2010.
• Iceland Art AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with in the initial collection process alongside The Reykjavík Municipal Archives, The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, University of Iceland, and National Museum of Iceland.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Showroom: London-based contemporary art gallery focused on artist-led exhibitions and commissions. Comparable as a small artist-oriented exhibition space without a permanent collection, emphasizing experimental practice.
• Künstlerhaus Bethanien: Berlin-based artist-run residency and exhibition space focused on international contemporary art production. Directly comparable as an artist-supervised venue with residency programs and curated exhibitions.
• Kling & Bang: Reykjavík-based artist-run gallery and project space (listed in Nýló's own archive of 100+ Icelandic artist-run spaces). Directly comparable as a peer artist-run venue in the same local ecosystem.
• Casco Art Institute: Utrecht-based contemporary art institute focused on commons, ecology, and collaborative practice. Comparable as a small artist-driven institution with strong educational and discursive programming.
• Gasworks: London-based artist-run contemporary art institution combining exhibitions, residencies, and community programming. Comparable in its artist-centric governance model and integration of international residency exchanges.
• Kunstinstituut Melly (formerly Witte de With): Rotterdam contemporary art institute with exhibitions, public programs, and a research focus. Comparable as a non-collecting contemporary art institution with international programming and curatorial ambition.
• BAK, basis voor actuele kunst: Utrecht-based contemporary art institution focused on experimental practice, research, and public programming. Comparable as a mid-sized contemporary art venue with a research- and education-oriented mission.
• Reykjavík Art Museum: Reykjavík's municipal contemporary art museum operating across Hafnarhús, Kjarvalsstaðir, and Ásmundarsafn. The most directly comparable peer — same city, same contemporary art focus — and a current partner in Nýló's storage working group.

Broad incumbents

• Tramway: Glasgow's contemporary visual and performing arts venue with major international exhibitions and residencies. Comparable as a publicly funded contemporary arts institution balancing exhibitions, residencies, and learning programs.
• National Gallery of Iceland: Iceland's national art museum covering the full sweep of Icelandic visual art. Comparable as a peer institution with collection stewardship responsibilities and a potential partner in the joint storage working group.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thelivingartmuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/nylistasafnid/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-living-art-museum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Living Art Museum