AUDIO TOUR - ABOUT THE PORTRAITS

Around the gallery, there are 20 portraits that are part of this series. Each one features a different subject, or in a few cases, subjects. The subjects come from different walks of life, from the winner of Denmark’s Young Farmer of the Year to a coachman for Carlsberg beer to authors and politicians.

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I won’t go through every single portrait, but I will highlight some of the faces that are featured in the show. Christina Olsson and Lloyd Riggins were the principal dancers for the Royal Danish Ballet. Interestingly, this is the one portrait featuring a non-Dane! Christina is a Danish dancer, but Lloyd is actually an American who happened to find a career and success with the Danish ballet.

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Komtesse Wava Kitty Armfelt was a Countess and lady-in-waiting to Her Majesty Queen Margarethe II. The portrait features a non-human sitter as well – Armfelt’s dog, named Marilyn Monroe.

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There are a few politicians in the series, but I will quickly mention just one of them, Margrethe Auken. Her political career has spanned from October 1979 to the present day. She was a Lutheran pastor and then served as a member of Danish parliament from 1979 to 1990, and then again from 1994 to 2004. From 2004 to the present day, she has been a member of European parliament with the European Green Party. Interestingly, one of her children followed in her footsteps, becoming both a priest and a politician, and serving as Minister of the Environment from 2011-2014.

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If you are a fan of Danish food, the portrait of Ida Davidsen is for you. She is a chef, who, at the time, was running Restaurant Ida Davidsen. Her restaurant specialized in smorrebrod, which are Danish open-faced sandwiches. The menu featured over 250 different varieties and she even catered meals for the royal family.