Culture and the arts

Every year there are a number of cultural festivals, summer celebrations and art events throughout the country.

"Museums are public institutions with the purpose of gathering the records and documents of mankind, its history, environment and natural surroundings, and of acting as the steward for these items, performing research, disseminating information and exhibiting these items ..." Article 4 of the Museum Act

The Federation of Icelandic Artists is a confederation of artistic associations specialising in the various artistic disciplines. This includes e.g., the Writers' Union of Iceland, Icelandic Actors' Association and Association of Icelandic Musicians.

"The role of the public library is to provide people with easy access to a diverse collection of books and other media, including computer software and information in a computerised format.” From Article 1 of the Act on Public Libraries

"The National Gallery of Iceland is the primary museum for the visual arts, and handles collecting, recording, preservation, documentation, presentation and research in the area of Icelandic visual art." From Article 5 of the Museum Act

There are numerous concerts held in Iceland every year. Opera and dance productions are also put on. You'll find more information on concerts and other productions here.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, suggests that culture can be defined as: ”...the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group...“