Reykjavík Arts Festival was founded in 1969 by the Ministry of Culture, the City of Reykjavík and the Federation of Icelandic Artists, on the initiative of conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy, who remains its honorary president, and Ivar Eskeland, then director of the Nordic House in Reykjavík. It was held biennially from 1970 to 2004 and annually after that until 2016 when the festival became a biennial again.
In the context of Reykjavík Arts Festival, hundreds of artists from all parts of the globe have performed or exhibited in Iceland. It is one of the oldest and most respected arts festivals in the Nordic countries.
