The ASÍ Art Museum was established in 1961. The industrialist and publisher Ragnar Jónsson of Smári laid the foundation for the museum by donating his art collection—about 147 paintings by many of Iceland’s best-known artists—to the Icelandic Federation of Labour Unions. Ragnar’s wish was to establish an art museum that would promote art among Iceland’s working people. 

The ASÍ Art Museum has always charted its course in accord with its founder’s educational views and has specialized in mounting art exhibitions in workplaces and institutions across Iceland. The museum has undertaken a broad range of projects over the years and its collection has steadily grown since its founding nearly sixty years ago; it now holds roughly 4300 works.