AFSMK: American Friends of SMK – The National Gallery of Denmark – AFSMK: American Friends of SMK

Welcome to the American Friends of SMK

AFSMK, the American Friends of the Statens Museum for Kunst (National Gallery of Denmark), is an organization and a friendship scheme that aims to strengthen ties between the American public and SMK, located in the heart of Copenhagen. AFSMK creates opportunities in Denmark and in the United States for people to broaden their understanding of and deepen their ties to Danish culture by experiencing, participating and supporting the collection, exhibitions and activities of the museum in both countries.

About the Museum

SMK houses a large collection of Danish and international paintings, sculptures, drawings and installations. The Gallery’s educational activities include the collection, research on art history, and general public education.

Why give to AFSMK?

The generosity of our supporters makes everything possible. Your support enables us to share the collection and activities of SMK with thousands of people from all over the world.

A letter from the President

President of the AFSMK, Lena Beck Rørvig

Through art we express and share our cultures and we meet new people with mutual interests and form new friendships

The Danes and the Americans are like old friends; we have a history together and we complement each other so very well. Relations between Denmark and the United States have been cordial with uninterrupted diplomatic relations, for more than 200 years and a long history of trading between us.

The two countries admire and respect each other’s differences. For Danes ‘Coming to America’ is coming to the land of opportunities where ‘only the sky is the limit’. For many Americans Denmark is the small fairytale country with old traditions and beautiful design.

Having the honor of chairing the board of AFSMK gives me not only the opportunity to help strengthen the ties between America and Denmark, but also the opportunity to combine two of my biggest pleasures in life: Art & Friends.

Through art we express and share our cultures and we meet new people with mutual interests and form new friendships. With friends we enjoy and discuss art giving us mutual experiences and strengthening our friendships.

Being a Friend of the Danish National Gallery is supporting and strengthening the ties between America and Denmark, it is supporting art and preserving history and last but not least giving oneself wonderful experiences.

Through AFSMK I have had the pleasure of meeting the artists behind the exhibitions and hearing from knowledgeable curators the fascinating stories about art and artists that I would not have access to otherwise.

SMK is an iconic institution in Denmark—part of the national identity and a major tourist destination. Our corporate friends benefit from this connection. Being a corporate friend of AFSMK is a unique signal to customers and employees that the company supports the strong ties between our two countries and not only value SMK’s collection of more than 700 years of art but supports the continuous development of the global art scene.

I thank all of our generous friends for their support. If you are not a friend yet, I hope you will join us and be a part of the AFSMK community.

Please do read all about our exhibitions, research, conservation expertise and activities on SMK’s and AFSMK’s websites. If you have any questions or suggestions do not hesitate to contact us.

I look forward to continuing our dialogue on how to strengthen the bonds between our two wonderful countries through art and the continuous development of AFSMK.

Sincerely,
Lena Beck Rørvig
President

Our events

“We wish to organize experiences and events that are unique and which offers special opportunities that expose you to the vibrant Nordic art scene. Join us!”
– Hanne Støvring, Executive Director

Guided Tours

Picture of Jeppe Hein Guided Open Air Tour

AFSMK organizes a line of unique guided tours and exhibitions for its friends and donors in both Denmark and the US.

Private Viewings

Picture of Gagosian Gallery Art Talk

Enjoy VIP invitations to private art talks and viewings as a friend of AFSMK.

Dinners & Daytrips

Picture of a visit to the Danish Village, Solvang

Every year AFSMK organizes a line of activities (Dinners & Daytrips) to unique Nordic destinations in the U.S. Friends and donors receive special invites to partake and experience first-hand the historic relationship between the U.S. and Denmark.

The Directors and Officers of the Board of AFSMK

Mr. Arthur Zegelbone
Secretary and Member of the Board of Directors at AFSMK. Mr. Zegelbone is a consultant to non-profit cultural organizations in New York City and speaker about cultural diplomacy for New York University. He is a retired Foreign Service Officer and recipient of two U.S. Information Agency Meritorious Service Awards.

Mr. Arthur Zegelbone

Ms. Lena Beck Roervig
President and Board Chair for the AFSMK. Ms. Beck Roervig is CEO & co-founder of Beck Global Consulting specializing in high performance Board and leadership development. She has an extensive international background and also serves on the Board of Directors for American Scandinavian Society as VP Denmark.

Ms. Lena Beck Roervig

Mr. Marc Henry
Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors at AFSMK. Mr. Henry is Attorney at Law since 1988 and a litigation and arbitration partner at American ‘Hughes Hubbard & Reed’ and leads the litigation practice in the firm’s Paris office. Since 2004, he has been recognized as a leading individual by Chambers for both litigation and arbitration.

Mr. Marc Henry

Marc Henry

Ms. Anne Dorte Riggelsen
Ms. Riggelsen has recently become the Consul General of Denmark in New York. In 2009-15 she was Danish Ambassador to France. Ms Riggelsen is a lawyer from the University of Copenhagen where she was an assistant professor from 1986-88. From 2001 to 2006, Anne Dorte Riggelsen was responsible for Denmark’s European policy. In 2006, Ms. Riggelsen was a member of the Foreign Ministry’s leadership and responsible for personnel and finance.

Ms. Anne Dorte Riggelsen

Ms. Colleen Ritzau Leth
Vice Chairman and Member of the Board of Directors at AFSMK. Ms. Leth is a philanthropist and museum development strategist, specializing in cultural diplomacy and international affairs. Ms. Leth is a member of the Board of Directors of the Tauck Family Foundation, Co-Founder of BAFA, and Vice President of Tauck Ritzau Innovative Philanthropy. She holds a BA in Art History from Barnard College and a MA in Art History & Archaeology from NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts.

Colleen Ritzau Leth

Ms. Colleen Ritzau Leth

Ms. Debra H. Norris
Assistant Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors at AFSMK. Ms. Norris is Chair of the Art Conservation Department at the University of Delaware and Professor of Photograph Conservation. She is also a member of the visiting committee for the Department of Photographs, Metropolitan Museum of Art and a graduate of the University of Delaware.

Ms. Debra H. Norris

Mr. Ilya Katsnelson
Mr. Katsnelson is an American-Danish businessman and investor, based in Denmark. He is the CEO of International Flight Support and owner of R&M Holding ApS as well as an expert in management, process optimization and logistics. He is a member of a number of corporate and non-profit boards and advisory bodies in Denmark and the USA.

Mr. Ilya Katsnelson

Mr. James C. Shehan
Mr. Shehan is also an attorney at Hyman, Phelps and McNamara, PC. Previously he was the General Counsel and Corporate Vice President of Legal, Government and Quality at Novo Nordisk. Board experience includes Healthcare Institute. Graduate of Georgetown Law School and Columbia University.

Mr. James C. Shehan

Mr. Jolyon Stern
Mr. Stern is Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of DeWitt Stern, an insurance brokerage and risk management firm, specializing in business, personal, fine art, entertainment & media, employee benefit and executive liability insurance. He is the grandson of DeWitt H. Stern, the founder of DeWitt Stern and the third generation to lead the century-old firm.

Mr. Jolyon Stern

Mr. Mikkel Bogh
Mr. Bogh is Director of the National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen and the former Rector at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Visual Arts. He is also an art critic for leading Danish newspapers and a member of other Boards focusing on the arts.

Mr. Mikkel Bogh

Mr. Mik Strøyberg
Mr. Strøyberg is founder and CEO of Lemonsqueeze. He has a track record as an enthusiastic and highly motivated leader in strategic sales, building new businesses, being the catalyst of new sales processes and experienced builder of businesses in all sizes. Besides this Mik founded and grew the stand-alone solutions like Sweetdeal (www.sweetdeal.dk) in 5 countries and more than 80 cities and initiated the US office for the digital publishing company, Issuu.

Mik Strøyberg

Mr. Mik Strøyberg

Mr. René Gross Kærskov
Mr. Kaerskov is CEO for HBA, the world’s largest hospitality design firm and has extensive experience in international business. He is also co-founder of the Danish watch brand, BERING, owner of the Danish newspaper in America, BIEN, and THE COPENHAGEN HOUSE. He is the first Dane to visit the North and South Pole and is a supporter of Danish museums in America.

Mr. René Gross Kærskov