Hammarskiöld royal portraits on display

Crown Princess Victoria/1986/Hans Hammarskiöld/Nationalmusem/The Swedish National Portrait Gallery

Nationalmuseum (The National Museum of Fine Arts) in Stockholm recently opened a special portrait exhibition devoted to solely one of Sweden’s most famous and world renowned photographers in the self titled exhibition “Hans Hammarskiöld – Profiles”.
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Queen’s dresses in the USA

Happy 4th of July, all Americans! Today does not only bring a day full of festivities and honouring your country, for those of you who are into royalty I have some great news. The American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has borrowed the dresses that were presented in the hugely successful exhibition of the Queen’s dresses in Stockholm during 2006 from the Royal Collections – and now you have a chance to see them over in the USA!

Until 28 September they are in display at The American Swedish Institute’s exhibition “Fit for a Queen: Nobel Gowns of H.M. Queen Silvia of Sweden” in Minneapolis, so if you have a chance to go there during the summer, it’s highly recommendable by me. Then you can inspect the Queen’s dresses close up and amaze and the fantastic skills it takes to make them, and Her Majesty’s kept size through all these years from 1976 to 2006.

More: read about the exhibition here and go to the institute’s homepage to learn about the opening hours and admission fees.

Royal portraits on display for the public

The renovations and conservations at the Royal Palace of Stockholm continues. Karl XI’s Gallery, the magnificent venue of royal dinners, and the Guest Apartments, living quarters of state guests during state visits, are rooms that have been finished. Now the turn has come to the Bernadotte Apartments and its Bernadotte Gallery, situated in the north part of the palace and whose last residing royal occupants where King Oskar II and Queen Sofia before it was turned into a memorial gallery for the Bernadotte dynasty in 1917. Before the room was emptied for the work to commence, a decision was reached that the portraits would be shown off to the public instead of put in another room for storage during the renovation. The paintings themselves could also need some restoration and polishing, but this has to wait – there isn’t money for everything at once.

Photo: Alexis Daflos/The Royal Collections

The result is the exhibition “Bernadotte Portraits from two centuries” in the Hall of State, the scene of the oh so grand openings of Parliament of the past, the enthronement ceremony of King Carl XVI Gustaf and the ceremony marking Crown Princess Victoria’s coming of age. About thirty portraits of seven generations of Bernadottes are on display, chronologically divided into three parts. King Carl Gustaf’s explicit wish was that the one of his ancestor, the first Bernadotte King, Karl Johan, would be the first portrait to meet the visitors. Thus the chronologic order was chosen as the best way of dividing the portraits.

After the opening ceremony in the Royal Chapel, attended by the King, Queen and Crown Princess, they moved to the Hall of State for a chance to view it before the public streams in from today Wednesday. A few of the times most skilled portrait painters are represented in the exhibition, from the French François Gérard (Désirée Clary and King Karl XIV Johan) to the German Joseph Stieler (Princess Josefina of Leuchtenberg) and Swedes Oscar Björck (Crown Princess Margareta), Anders Zorn (Queen Sofia) and Isaac Grünewald (Princess Ingrid). Also included are the American Nelson Shanks’ portraits of the current King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia which were originally hung in Livdrabantsalen in 1992.

The exhibition is open until 5 October.

A Prince with an eye for details

A princely exhibition in Uppsala, that is the first major task that Prince Carl Philip has taken on after many years of studies in graphic design and photography both in Sweden and abroad. Today the photo exhibition “A glimpse into paradise” was shown to the press at the Museum Gustavianum/The Uppsala University Museum in Uppsala, a photographic celebrations to the delicate details of vegetation and at the same time a tribute to Carl von Linné in connection to the jubilee year. The King, Queen and Crown Princess all came to Uppsala to attend an exclusive preview for invitees only.

The base plans for an exhibition of the Botanical Gardens has been in existence for a long time, but it has taken until today that a photographic portrait and interpretation of the magnificent gardens can be showcased. Museum director Ing-Marie Munktell tells us that there was plans for a cooperation with photographer Mattias Klum from the very beginning, and when he worked with the extraordinary documentary “Expedition Linné” (of which the Prince was also a part of the team), she got in touch with Carl Philip. And so it was set, with the National Geographic attached world renowned nature photographer Mattias Klum as his guide, the Prince took his camera and went on an expedition of his own in the Botanical Gardens. The result: several hundred pictures.

The exhibition is set to the anatomical theatre in the Museum Gustavianum, a very macabre room with the set up of an amfitheatre, where wealrthy people a few hundred years ago could buy their seat at a public dissection. It’s completely with a dissecting table in the middle of the bottom floor of the amphitheatre, the place where students and professors gathered to examine the dead.

Special planned exhibition lightning in the form of tiny spotlights creates moods that contribute to the total impression. But there are no extravagant curlicues; instead the building and architecture are set as the framework.

The Prince’s very detailed and close-up photos, with a sharp eye for moods and colors, are emphasized by the simple frame of a wooden room. But in the midst of the simplicity there is also a modern element, and perhaps also what awakens our senses the most; projected from a projector under the dissecting table, a presentation in sound and image takes place in the rooftop of the anatomical theatre.

The photographs are picked so that colors and harmonies in tune create a memorable experience for both eye and ear.

The Prince has chosen the images together with artist Michel Östlund, previously known for among things his unconsidered exhibition of the Apostles of Christ; and they have also worked with designing the exhibition and accompanying book together.

“A glimpse into paradise. Prince Carl Philip interprets the Botanical Gardens in Uppsala” is on display from 30 May to 15 October 2007.

Video clips:

Uppsala Nya Tidning, Web-TV segment (01,58)

In royal footsteps

Crusades, hunts, balls, dinners and regular walks. This and much more are things that Swedish royals have done throughout history, and a natural question could be: what did they have on their feet?

In the end of January, we can get at least a part of the answer to this question, at least if one has the chance to visit Stockholm and the exhibition on royal shoes that open at The Royal Armoury on the 27th.

After having gone through an extensive renovation since last fall, it’s time for the award winning museum to open their gates again. And for some time to come, shoes in all kinds of shapes and sizes, worn by royals though the centures, from Gustav II Adolf to King Carl XVI Gustaf, is on the agenda.