Queen of Denmark
10th of April - 1st of August 2010
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The Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle marks H.M. Queen Margrethe II’s 70th birthday with a special exhibition portraying the Queen’s official and private life, connecting her life story with events in Danish history.
The exhibition explores the Queen’s versatile work, ranging from official duties as head of state, to creative artistic enterprises in many different genres and areas. Margrethe II’s unique personality and life have influenced not only the era in which she has lived – but also the lives of millions of Danes; as a princess, queen, but also as an artist she has reflected and influenced the past seven decades.
The Museum illustrates what is required to be a reigning queen, and what essential traits characterises Queen Margrethe II and her lifetime. Visitors will be able to re-live moments of the Queen’s, our shared, and maybe also their own lives. 70 years of life – 70 years of Danish history. The museum has acquired a variety of artefacts as well as portraits of the Queen and her family from the Royal House and various institutions, which along with portraits and photographs from the Museum’s own collections will help paint a vivid picture of a queen with many facets and a strong impact.
This comprehensive portrait of the Queen will begin with a retrospective view of the role of the Queen, and explore queens of past times. With the nursery as starting point we accompany little princess Margrethe through the war and to the important constitutional amendment that suddenly made her heiress presumptive, and then Queen.
The exhibition contains various examples of official as well as more private renderings of the Queen; from the smallest stamp to Michael Kvium’s most recent portrait. The portraits are supplied with robes and gala gowns, and extracts from the New Year’s Speeches which highlight the Queen’s importance as a national symbol. The exhibition includes the portraits of Danish Prime Ministers during the Queen’s reign.
The Queen’s own artistic development has been an important part of her life. They are expressed through painting, drawing, literature, découpage work, costume designs, scenography and embroidery. The exhibition displays, among others, ballet costumes from the Pantomime Theatre, in the Tivoli Gardens, and the Royal Theatre, and numerous examples of the Queen’s latest work with découpages and scenopgraphy from Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Wild Swans’.
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