On the south-western edge of Reykjavíkurtjörn (the Pond in Reykjavík), lies the sculpture garden known as Höggmyndagarðurinn Perlufesti—or The Pearl Necklace. It was opened on Women’s Rights Day, June 19, to commemorate the pioneering women in Icelandic sculpture.
The garden, part of the Reykjavík Art Museum, received its name from the performance art collective Gjörningaklúbburinn (the Icelandic Love Corporation). The title refers to the circular arrangement of the works by six women who were trailblazers in sculpture in Iceland: Gunnfríður Jónsdóttir (1889–1968), Nína Sæmundsson (1892–1962), Tove Ólafsson (1909–1992), Þorbjörg Pálsdóttir (1919–2009), Ólöf Pálsdóttir (1920), and Gerður Helgadóttir (1928–1975).
The featured sculptures are: The Settler Woman by Gunnfríður, The Mermaid by Nína, Man and Woman by Tove, Boy and Girl by Þorbjörg, The Son by Ólöf, and The Driller by Gerður.
In addition, Gunnfríður’s work On the Way Home stands east of the Pond—a piece where the woman gazes westward across the pond’s inlet toward The Pearl Necklace. Not officially part of it, and yet somehow connected.
Photos & text : Páll Stefánsson
Reykjavík : 07/01/2026 – GFX 100 II – GF 1.7/55mm
