Tuesday is a big day for the queen of Denmark.
Here opens the exhibition ’the Queen’s faces’, where visitors can see queen Margrethe portrayed through time.
It enlightens the Danish Royal family on their social media.
‘A regent’s face, a mother and grandmother’s face, an artist’s face. Her Majesty the Queen has many faces, and over time, these have been portrayed several times. Opening on Tuesday the exhibition ”the Queen’s Faces”, which through a series of portraits illustrating the Queen’s life, activities and special interests through eight decades’, starts the lookup.
the Exhibition is created in connection with the queen’s 80th birthday and along with the old portraits, there will also be a whole new to find of the queen, painted by Niels Strøbek.
’the Artist stands behind the first portraits of Majesty after tronskiftet and has since then portrayed the Queen several times. Shown here are four of Niels Strøbeks paintings, which are among the portraits at the exhibition ”the Queen’s Faces” at The Museum of national history on Frederiksborg Castle’, it sounds in conclusion.
But even though more and more people have commented on the pictures and praises the portraits and the queen, there are just as many who do not believe that it is the best pictures of the majesty.
‘I do not think the pictures are particularly good. On the first picture is the neck and the head wrong in proportion to the body and the dress with flæserne is one arm too short’, writes one.
‘The first two pictures looks like something that is painted of a good hobby painter. The similarity and the angles are not “spot on”’, writes another.
‘Strange images’, write a third brief.
And the danes so not entirely the fault. At least not if you ask an art historian and expert in portrait Thyge Christian Fønss-Lundberg.
He believes that the painter Niels Strøbek has had its time, and that now is the time to search for new artists who can bring something new to the interpretation of the queen consort’s appearance.
– I think Strøbek have done very well with his earlier works, where he was one of his era’s most cutting-edge Danish artists. But he has had his time, and it is something that belongs in the 70’s and the beginning of the’80s, he says to Ekstra Bladet.
the Criticism goes not only on the Strøbek, but also at Frederiksborg Castle, Thyge Christian Fønss-Lundberg believes has an obligation to show the danes what else is of talented painters.
– For me it is a paradox that precisely Frederiksborg, our country’s portrætmuseum, is the only museum that will to order pictures of him. The last eight years, the museum on the occasion of royal anniversaries commissioned four new portraits, of which three are ordered at the Strøbek. For me, it bears witness to a very snævertsynet and conservative approach to the portrætgenren, as the museum is, of course, precisely, to convey, he says, and continues:
– Denmark has to a large talent pool of people who paint portraits, and there is great popular support for the genre, which one among the second look, when the DR in the prime time leader for the country’s best portrait painter. I think it is strange that those who need to focus most on the here topic, choose one that has had its heyday 30-40 years ago. It is a pity for the queen, the audience and also really Strøbek, for he has not contributed anything significant to the history of the last many, many years.
According to Thyge Christian Fønss-Lundberg, is it not because, that the queen did not dare to choose a new artist. Previously both she and prince Henrik have been very careful to select the untested artists, like for example just the young Strøbek, Jørgen Boberg and Thomas Kluge when it came to the ordering of portætter.
Therefore hope the art historian, too, that you soon will get the eyes up for all of the talents that have just now found within the portrait genre is represented in Denmark.
– It is not because the queen did not dare, it seems as if the museum is not dry. We have so many exciting portrætkunstnere right now, for whom a royal order from Frederiksborg will mean everything. Use them however!
He is therefore also ambivalent towards the unveiling of the latest picture from Niels Strøbek.
– I would love if I was pleasantly surprised, even though I have a little difficult for me to imagine it, sounds it.
