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Secretary General for the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation, Lars Seeberg, appointed Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard as Hans Christian Andersen Ambassador. Bjørn Nørgaard is to take part in the worldwide celebration of the Danish storyteller in 2005 and to lend his support to the humanitarian organisation the HCA-abc Foundation, which has been created in the name of Hans Christian Andersen to address illiteracy worldwide.

Lars Seeberg states:
"Bjørn Nørgaard is one of Denmark?s most highly esteemed artists who has for many years shown artistic interest in Hans Christian Andersen. Most recently, he has rendered a complex vision of Andersen?s personality in sculptural form. Bjørn Nørgaard?s interpretation is an excellent reflection of the commitment of the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation to promote the wider awareness of Andersen as a multifaceted author. It is therefore with great pleasure that on behalf of the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation I appoint Bjørn Nørgaard as Hans Christian Andersen Ambassador."
 
Bjørn Nørgaard states:
"Although reflecting his time - Romanticism - he is also our first modern writer and visual artist. Both his life and poetry point to modern complexity and diversity, but also to the doubts and yearnings that entail a lonely in modernity. I accept the title in deep respect for the life and work of Hans Christian Andersen."

Hans Christian Andersen Ambassadors are celebrated artists, politicians, journalists, businesspeople, and athletes from around the world, who have been asked by the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation to represent the bicentenary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen. All are highly respected within their field and are acclaimed and credited for their contributions to the world.

The Hans Christian Andersen Ambassadors are to help generate awareness of the bicentenary celebrations in their home countries, either by their presence at different events related to the 2005 bicentenary or by conveying their view of Hans Christian Andersen to the world.

At the event, the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation also presented a new commercial partner, the Danish state railways, DSB, which is to supply railway transport for the many visitors attending the opening of the bicentennial celebrations.
 
Furthermore, the DSB will during 2005 publish twelve new Andersen-inspired fairytales by celebrated Danish authors in their passenger magazine, Ud & Se. Among the authors is Jan Sonnergaard, who at the press launch performed a reading of his version The Little Mermaid.



Photo of Bjørn Nørgaard and Secretary General of the HCA 2005 Foundation, Lars Seeberg.
Photographer: Henrik Salling/Have PR. 

Facts on Hans Christian Andersen 2005

Hans Christian Andersen 2005 is to promote the wider appreciation and awareness of the life and work of Hans Christian Andersen in celebration of the bicentenary of his birth in 2005.

This is set to happen through numerous projects within film, TV, literature, theatre, opera, dance, multimedia, rhythmic and classical music, entertainment, visual art, museum exhibitions, education and tourism.

The stated aim is to promote a more variegated image of the poet and storyteller among as many as possible in Denmark and internationally, children and adults alike. In 2005, Hans Christian Andersen will be celebrated with both large and small productions with international impact as well as small, local events.

The Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation has been established by the Kingdom of Denmark represented by the Danish Ministry of Culture, the Danish Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs, the Municipality of Odense, the County of Funen and the Bikuben Foundation

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