Óli K. press photographer at Morgunblaðið news paper in 1953.

Reykjavík Museum of Photography

When he joined Morgunblaðið in 1947, he became Iceland’s first permanent newspaper photographer, a position he held for nearly half a century, until his passing in 1997.

Óli was often amid the whirlwind of human life and culture, capturing the pulse of everyday life with sensitivity and precision. Quick to the scene when history unfolded, he combined a journalist’s instinct with an artist’s eye. His photographs reflect both compositional mastery and a deep sensitivity to human stories, offering readers clear narratives in every frame.


When he joined Morgunblaðið in 1947, he became Iceland’s first permanent newspaper photographer, a position he held for nearly half a century, until his passing in 1997.

The exhibition gives visitors the opportunity to experience everyday, historical, tragic and humorous events, frame by frame, through Óli K.’s eyes. Some of his images have become woven into the nation’s collective memory, such as his documentation of the 1949 clashes at Austurvöllur over Iceland’s entry into NATO. Yet many more of his works, shown here for the first time, open new windows onto the life and times he so vividly preserved.

Óli K. Press Photographer

Ólafur K. Magnússon (1926–1997), better known as Óli K., studied photography and filmmaking in New York and Los Angeles.

Óli K. Press Pho­to­grapher

Ólafur K. Magnússon (1926–1997), better known as Óli K., studied photography and filmmaking in New York and Los Angeles.

Óli K. Press Photographer