Luxury Experience Magazine has toured and written about many castles in our past editions, including the Kolossi Castle in Limassol, Cyprus, Les Palaise in Monaco, the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden and the Kalmar Castle in Kalmar, Sweden, but on a snowy Nordic morning on March 1, 2005, in New York, Luxury Experience Magazine had the opportunity to meet a queen, Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway. Edward F. Nesta and I were honored to be among the invited guests to Scandinavia House, www.scandinaviahouse.org, in New York where they hosted Norge - Contemporary Landscapes from the Collection of Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway, as well as a presentation by Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway. Mr. Edward Gallagher, President of Scandinavia House welcomed the guests, and Mr. Richard Aldenberg introduced their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, and said that the Queen “not only shows pictures from her collection, but also what they mean to her. She has a passion for art with a connoisseur’s eye.”

Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway is not only passionate about her art, but about her beloved Norway, as evidenced in her moving portrayal of Norway in her presentation “This is My Norway, H.M. Queen Sonja”, in which she shared her stories and spectacularly intimate photographs of her country. This energetic Queen enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, photography, contemporary art and traveling throughout Norway meeting her countrymen as she journeys to discover more of her country. She shared some of her photographs of the breathtaking fjords, the rugged mountains where she is seen hiking, the immense vastness of cross-country skiing across frozen terrain, and the contemporary art sculptures that dot the Norwegian coastline. She is an “outdoor enthusiast who hikes in the mountains to recharge her batteries.” She said that she is proud that Norway was the first country to attract tourists, dating back to the 1800’s when they traveled to see the magnificent fjords, which are the top in the world, and that contemporary art is close to her heart, because she finds it more stimulating as she tries to find out its secrets. Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway was delightfully funny, charming and completely captivated the audience, as she enthusiastically shared her experiences. I know that after seeing the stunning photographs of Norway, Edward and I will definitely be traveling to Norway in the near future. After her presentation, guests were invited to tour the gallery and see her collection of contemporary art, which include a video as well as paintings by such contemporary masters as Andy Warhol – Crown Princess Sonja from 1982, as well as Knut Rumohr, and Jakob Weidemann.

The exhibition Norge - Contemporary Landscapes from the Collection of Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway continues until May 25, 2005 at Scandinavian House, 58 Park Avenue at 38^th Street, New York. The American-Scandinavian Foundation www.amscan.org in collaboration with the Royal Palace in Oslo, Norway organized this exhibition. For more information on Norway, please contact Innovation Norway at www.visitnorway.com.

© April 2005. Luxury Experience. www.luxuryexperience.com All rights reserved.