Became a vivid art collector through the Artotek

Heiða Rúnarsdóttir has been collecting art through the Artotek for fourteen years. The first work of art that Heiða acquired through Artótek was actually the first painting that the couple bought together. It’s by the visual artist Ninný and is titled Relaxation. “We bought the painting for my 40th birthday,” Heiða says.

She says that they always keep the labels on the back of the artwork, both because they have information about the pieces but also because they’re a pleasant reminder of artwork bought at a good price. She takes one picture down from the foyer: the back shows the couple paid 1000 ISK per month, for nearly three years, in order to acquire the picture. “We didn’t need to deny ourselves a lot in order to afford this,” Heiða says happily as she hangs the picture back in its spot. “We didn’t have a lot of money at that time, but wanted to buy art by Icelandic artists, so the Artótek was a great way for us to realize that dream.”

Heiða says she and Hjálmar both browse the Artótek website, but Hjálmar is probably more active. “Yes, he browses on the website regularly and then usually if I choose one, he sees two others,” Heiða laughs. She says that when they’ve chosen an artwork, they make a trip downtown to look at it. “There’s a certain ceremony to it, of course it isn’t a quick task to find a parking spot in the city,” Heiða says with a smile. She says that although it’s important to them to see the artwork with their own eyes before they make a final decision, it hasn’t yet happened that they’ve changed their minds at the moment of truth.

Heiða and Hjálmar began collecting art through the Artótek 14 years ago and Heiða says it has been a great decision. “You can fill your home with art, just by taking little steps with Artótek.”