His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik was at the National History Museum at Frederiksborg Castle this week to officially open Kasper Eistrup’s exhibition “Fragmentarium”. Alongside Eistrup, the Crown Prince unveiled a new portrait of himself painted by the visual artist and musician.
Commissioned by the National History Museum, the portrait shows Denmark’s Crown Prince in formal wear with a blue velvet smoking jacket in a casual seated pose on a pink sofa in front of a wall decorated with lush foliage. Speaking at the exhibition opening, Crown Prince Frederik shared insight into the collaborative nature of the portrait process. The image will be a central focus of “Fragmentarium” and will join the permanent collection of the National History Museum once the exhibition ends.
The “Fragmentarium” portrait is one of a number of images of the Danish Crown Prince in the museum at present as he is also the subject of a special exhibition in 2018 to mark his 50th birthday. “HRH Crown Prince Frederik, Prince of Denmark,” relates the story of the Crown Prince’s birth, life and duties in the service of Denmark in addition to exploring his family life, special interests and activities as a sportsman. The exhibition also “casts light on the conditions and roles of Denmark’s Crown Princes and heirs to the throne throughout history,” particularly the political and cultural events which have helped shape the role as Crown Prince. This insight aims to try and help explain why the role is what it is today, and the particular characteristics of Denmark’s current Crown Prince.
The National History Museum is Denmark’s largest cultural and historical museum and explores more than 500 years of Denmark’s history through its rich collection of portraits, history paintings, furniture, and decorative arts. “Fragmentarium” presents a wide range of Kasper Eistrup’s works and will be open until 3 March 2019. Eistrup is best known as the former singer and guitarist in the Danish band Kashmir but has since devoted himself to the arts.
