Situated in the heart of Kopavogur, Gerdarsafn is a progressive museum with a focus on contemporary art. Opened in 1994, the gallery displays its own collection, as well as invites the visitor to see temporary exhibitions of works by Icelandic and foreign contemporary artists.

The museum was built in memory of artist Gerdur Helgadottir (1928-1975). She was a pioneer of 3D abstract art and glass techniques in Iceland. The museum collection includes more than 1,400 works of the sculptor and an extensive collection of works by artists of the 20th century: Barbara Arnason, Magnus A. Arnason, and Valgerdur Briem.

Helgadottir’s relatives donated almost 1,500 of her works to the city when she died in 1975. Kopavogur accepted the gift under the earlier drawn conditions: to build a museum in honor of the artist to store and display her work. Gerdur was a versatile person who worked both with sculptures and stained glass windows and mosaics.

Nowadays, numerous cultural centers hold events in the museum: dinner concerts, book reviews, readings, and excursions. Gerdur's Studio is an open learning space where anyone can explore and create art. School groups, families, and single visitors have the opportunity to relax and create their works here. Family workshops are often held here as part of the Family Saturday program run by the Kopavogur Culture Houses.

On its website, Gerdarsafn offers guided tours and museum education for school groups of all levels, for small and large individual groups, including working visits and tourists. For example, in 2019, it hosted an exhibition of films, sound and video art by contemporary Icelandic and foreign artists named “Oh, so quiet.” The focus of the exhibition evolved around the relationship between music and cinema in contemporary art. The main idea of the exposition was the deep and balanced calmness as specified in its title; the artists created sound installations representing the space for experience: the visual music.