Art historian and critic Bente Scavenius has rejected the criticism aimed at the new official portrait of King Frederik X, saying the idea that the painting is ugly makes no sense.
Speaking on DR’s radio program P1 Morgen on Sunday, Scavenius said she found the work genuinely successful. DR reports that she called the claim the portrait is ugly completely unreasonable, while adding that a work of this kind will always draw criticism.
The painting, by visual artist Cathrine Raben Davidsen, was presented to the public on Friday. According to DR, a number of Danes have posted their views on the royal house’s social media accounts in the days since. The portrait has also received considerable praise.
The oil painting is 2.40 meters high and shows the king in his official uniform, placed in a natural setting. The background represents Kongsøre Forest, where Frederik spent time during his years as a frogman. The work took more than two years to complete.
It is the first official painted portrait of King Frederik X since the change of throne in 2024. The painting now hangs alongside earlier royal portraits in the Riddersalen at Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød.
The museum at Frederiksborg states that the unveiling took place in the Great Hall on September 25, 2026. As noted by the Carlsberg Foundation, the painting was made public during an event marking the foundation’s 150th anniversary.
A traditional approach
Scavenius said Raben Davidsen has handled the commission in a very traditional way, in line with other official portraits. She added that the work does not break with that tradition, and that viewers hoping for something different may be dissatisfied with the result.
According to Scavenius, the artist has managed to show both the official side of the king and a more vulnerable one. She said the painting tells the viewer about the monarch and about a person, and that it brings out character traits people associate with the king.
She also noted that the king today may be somewhat more mature than the man shown in the painting. That observation, she said, is not enough to call the portrait ugly. Scavenius, who has appeared in the DR series “Danmarks bedste portrætmaler” and “Verdensdamerne,” said her assessment is purely professional and that she has no stake in the work.
The Copenhagen Post reports that the king took part in painting parts of the portrait himself. The outlet also reports that critics were divided after the unveiling. Scavenius said she knows of no work in art history created for a broad public that has not split opinion.
