Ríkarður Jónsson was an Icelandic artist who grew up in Djúpivogur. As a young man he trained as a wood carver and became the first person in Iceland to complete an education in wood carving. He later moved to Copenhagen to study sculpture. Ríkarður founded an art school after moving back home to Iceland, where he taught drawing and wood carving. Ríkarður is best known for his busts and bas-reliefs, but his work spreads all over the world. He designed the shield of Iceland and both designed and carved the United Nations' gavel. Ríkarður was the main advocate for preserving traditional Icelandic wood carving and especially the using of Höfðaletur in the 19th century.
The Ríkarður Jónsson Museum displays the work of Ríkarður Jónsson as well as displaying his studio and home. It is only appropriate to honor the old Icelandic wood carving in the interiors that the artist himself loved and fought so hard to preserve.