The Living Art Museum

The Living Art Museum, known in Icelandic as Nýlistasafnið and commonly abbreviated as Nýló, is a not-for-profit, artist-run museum and exhibition platform dedicated to innovative and experimental contemporary art in Reykjavík, Iceland. Founded in 1978, it was the first artist-run, non-profit organisation in the country and has since served as a vital forum for progressive exhibitions, critical discourse, and the collection and preservation of works by both Icelandic and international artists. Its commitment to non-hierarchical, volunteer-driven governance and its flexible, evolving structure have made it a cornerstone of Iceland's contemporary art scene.

Nýló was founded on January 5, 1978, when twenty-six artists established the Living Art Museum Association at an inaugural meeting that set the initial foundations for its role. The founders were a diverse group at various stages in their careers, mainly associated with the Fluxus movement and conceptual art, including figures such as Dieter Roth and Magnús Pálsson. The organisation began as a collection to preserve and archive artworks by a younger generation of artists that were otherwise ignored by the art public and authorities at the time. In 1981, the Living Art Museum Gallery was founded, adding exhibition programming to its mission and establishing Nýló as a foremost venue for performance during the 1980s. The 30th anniversary of its founding was marked on January 5, 2008, by the publication of Nýlistasafnið / The Living Art Museum: 1978-2008. Throughout its history, Nýló has maintained its original goal of creating a platform for progressive exhibitions and critical discussions on experimental art practices, while remaining inherently flexible as a smaller, mainly volunteer-based organisation.

Nýló's collection consists of approximately 2,300 artworks dating from 1950 to the present. The collection has been acquired primarily through donations by artists who have exhibited at the museum or have been included as part of its history. Originally, artists and members were required to contribute two works upon becoming a member, with an annual donation following, a practice that ensured the collection's growth over the past 35 years but also raised questions about the role of a collection, storage and space requirements, and archival and preservation practices. The museum holds a significant collection of artist books and prints, as well as documents that speak to the context and history of the works. The collection can be accessed online through Sarpur, the collection database. Nýló does not represent individual artists but promotes them within a nurturing, supportive, and non-hierarchical relationship.

The collection includes works by prominent Icelandic artists such as Kristján Guðmundsson, Sigurður Guðmundsson, Hildur Hákonardóttir, Ásta Ólafsdóttir, Finnbogi Pétursson, Rúrí, Ragnar Kjartansson, Magnús Pálsson, and Helgi Fríðjónsson. International artists represented include Dieter Roth, Carsten Höller, Dorothy Iannone, John Cage, John Armleder, Joseph Beuys, Matthew Barney, Meredith Monk, Richard Hamilton, and Robert Filliou. The archive contains a diverse and continuously growing collection of catalogues, audio and video files, letters, photographs, films, and recorded meeting notes connected to the museum and exhibition history, which arose out of necessity rather than as a planned process.

Nýló's early history involved several relocations. The collection originally began in a 30 m² rented space at Mjölnisholt 14, Reykjavík. The museum then occupied a 200 m² ground floor space in an alley at Vatnsstígur 3b, with another storey added in October 1983. In 1989, Islandsbanki purchased that building and terminated the lease, forcing Nýló to move its holdings into rented storage at Þingholtsstræti 6. A year later, Vatnsstígur 3b was purchased and Nýló occupied 560 m² there until 2001. Between 2001 and 2004 the organisation stayed briefly at Vatnsstígur 3, and in 2006 moved to Laugavegur 26. In early June 2014, the museum moved with its collection, archives, and research facilities to Völvufell 13-21 in Breiðholt, a suburb of Reykjavík, where for nearly three years it had a temporary gallery space on the top floor of a former bakery. In early 2017, Nýló moved to the second floor of The Marshallhouse in the downtown harbor area of Reykjavík. The building, a former herring factory, was renovated by Architects Kurt og Pí. Nýló shares The Marshallhouse with Kling & Bang, an artist-run gallery, and Studio Ólafur Elíasson.

The Living Art Museum is located in Reykjavík, Iceland, with its current home at The Marshallhouse in the downtown harbor area. The museum produces 6 to 8 exhibitions in its gallery space each year, alongside hosting performances, screenings, school visits, and workshops. It is managed by a board of five members and a secondary board of three members, who are voted in annually and can serve for up to two years, with work done mainly on a voluntary basis. This governance structure ensures that Nýló evolves under the influence and characteristics of each successive board, maintaining a fluid relationship with developing concerns in the field of visual arts. The museum's website is http://www.nylo.is/.