Listasafn Svavars Guðnasonar

Hlutverk Svavarssafns er að safna og miðla listaverkum, með sérstakri áherslu á tengsl við austur-skaftfellska list. Annað meginhlutverk Svavarssafns er að skrá, varðveita og miðla verkum í eigu sveitarfélagsins og stofnana þess. Listaverk Svavarssafns skulu að staðaldri vera til sýnis í sem flestum stofnunum sveitarfélagsins auk þess sem safnið efnir til sérstakra sýninga. Svavarssafn starfar eftir stofnskrá Menningarmiðstöðvar Hornafjarðar, sem skilgreint er af Safnaráði sem opinbert listasafn, og gildandi lögum um starfsemi safna. Einnig fylgir það lögum um skil á menningarverðmætum, svo og þjóðminjalögum.

Einstök safneign Svavarssafns er grunnforsenda þess að safnið geti starfað. Kjarninn í safnkosti Svavarssafns samanstendur af verkum Svavars Guðnasonar og fleiri hornfirskra listamanna og býr safnið nú yfir 1.000 verkum, sem sýnd eru eftir bestu getu í sýningarsölum safnsins auk þess sem verk eru lánuð til annarra stofnanna sveitarfélagsins, svo sem til heilsugæslustöðvar, ráðhúss, grunnskóla og framhaldsskóla.

Svavarssafn kappkostar að kynna starfsemi sína fyrir sem flestum og þjóna gestum sínum sem best. Sýningar safnsins taka mið af markmiðum að því að auka aðgengi og áhuga almennings á listum. Svavarssafn stendur fyrir fjölbreyttum sýningum á verkum úr safneign, frá öðrum söfnum, stofnunum eða einstaklingum. 

Svavarssafn Art Museum

Svavarssafn Art Museum officially opened its doors on Friday, 24th June 2011.
Situated in the dynamic town of Höfn in Hornafjörður, Iceland, the museum was established in honour of the renowned Icelandic artist Svavar Guðnason (1909–1988).
The opening exhibition featured a significant collection of his works, generously donated to the museum by his widow, Ásta Eiríksdóttir (1912–2008), in a lasting tribute to her late husband's legacy.

The museum's collection currently encompasses around 1,000 works of art.
In addition to its permanent collection, Svavarssafn Art Museum ambitiously presents contemporary art exhibitions, featuring both Icelandic and international artists, further enriching the cultural landscape of the region and beyond.

Svavarssafn Art Museum plays a pivotal role in presenting, collecting, preserving and mediating art, with a specific focus on works from East Skaftafell, beneath Iceland's Vatnajökull glacier.
The museum is entrusted with cataloguing, conserving, and mediating artworks owned by the municipality and its institutions and displaying its collection in rotating exhibitions at the museum as well as in municipal offices and public buildings in the area, offering opportunities for reflection and discussion.

The museum's larger hall is dedicated to contemporary art, hosting an ambitious program of five to seven exhibitions annually, featuring both Icelandic and international artists. It also runs a mediation program aimed at diverse audiences. Svavarssafn operates in accordance with the Hornafjörður Cultural Center's charter and current museum laws, adhering to regulations regarding cultural property repatriation and the National Heritage Act.

At the heart of the museum's collection are the works of artist Svavar Guðnason (1909–1988), one of Iceland's foremost artists, alongside works by other artists from Hornafjörður or with strong ties to the region. The collection now includes over 1.000 works, with a selection on display at any given time in the museum's exhibition hall Ástustofa, dedicated to Svavar´s wife Ásta Eiríksdóttir. Additional works are loaned to various local institutions, including Nýheimar Knowledge Center, Hornafjörður Elementary School, health centres, elderly homes, and the Town Hall.

Svavarssafn is committed to reaching a broad audience and providing exceptional experiences for its visitors. Its exhibitions seek to deepen public engagement with and appreciation for art, presenting both its own collection and producing exhibitions in collaboration with artists, other museums and institutions.