From his home in Israels Plads, Soviet Union-born, Copenhagen-based Danish American businessman and startup investor ILYA KATSNELSON recalls arriving in the US as a refugee at the age of ten, his formative years in Wisconsin, and moving to Denmark, later surviving a German maximum security jail when the Russian state issued a retaliatory Interpol red notice against him. Equally, he talks about his commitment to bringing the US and Denmark closer together through education, art, and culture.

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For today's episode, Ilya Katsnelson chose Carl Bloch's Fra et romersk osteria, or In a Roman Osteria, from 1866 from the collection of the National Gallery of Denmark.

https://open.smk.dk/en/artwork/image/KMS4087  

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Photographer: Davy Denke

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This conversation with Christian D. Bruun occurred on April 6, 2026.

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We invite you to subscribe to Danish Originals for weekly episodes. You can also find us at:

website: https://danishoriginals.com/                                

email: [email protected]

From her home in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, Copenhagen-born, New York-based Danish-Scottish documentary film producer and director MAIKEN BAIRD talks about her latest film on Palestinian American scholar Edward Said that is entirely archive-based. She revisits her iconic works, such as Client 9 (2010), Venus and Serena (2012), Oscar winner Icarus (2017), and Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich (2022), and describes the challenges in telling real stories that help us understand our world. 

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For today's episode, Maiken Baird chose Lauritz Hartz's Landskab med bakker, or Rolling Landscape, from 1927 from the collection of the National Gallery of Denmark.

https://open.smk.dk/en/artwork/image/KMS7062

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Photographer: Terry Gruber

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This conversation with Asger Hussain occurred on March 26, 2026.

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We invite you to subscribe to Danish Originals for weekly episodes. You can also find us at:

website: https://danishoriginals.com/ 

email: [email protected] 

From her home in Copenhagen, Fuglebjerg-born Danish arts and culture advisor FREDERIKKE MØLLER talks about her recent position with the Danish Embassy in Washington, D.C. facilitating Danish arts programming and dialogue in the US. Frederikke shares her thoughts on the changing US cultural scene under the Trump administration, and describes her current initiatives with Seattle's National Nordic Museum and her dream to work on collaborations among Nordic cultures.

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For today's episode, Frederikke Møller chose Jakob Kudsk Steensen's Primal Tourism from 2016 from the collection of the National Gallery of Denmark.

https://open.smk.dk/en/artwork/image/KMS8931

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Photographer: Per Sommer

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This conversation with Gregers Heering occurred on March 11, 2026.

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We invite you to subscribe to Danish Originals for weekly episodes. You can also find us at:

website: https://danishoriginals.com/                                

email: [email protected] 

From his home in Concord, Massachusetts, New England-born former US Ambassador to Denmark RUFUS GIFFORD recalls his start in politics, his ongoing connection to Denmark, and his work under Barack Obama and Joe Biden. He describes the current problematic chapter in transatlantic relationships, exemplified by the tensions with Denmark and Greenland, the MAGA movement in the US, and his passion to help elect a transformational US leader in 2028 in the post-Trump world order.

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For today's episode, Rufus Gifford chose C.W. Eckersberg's En sejlads til Charlottenlund, or Sailing from Copenhagen to Charlottenlund, from 1824 from the collection of the National Gallery of Denmark.

https://open.smk.dk/en/artwork/image/KMS8684

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Photograph Source: Rufus Gifford

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This conversation with Nicolai Rottbøll occurred on March 18, 2026.

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We invite you to subscribe to Danish Originals for weekly episodes. You can also find us at:

website: https://danishoriginals.com/

email: [email protected]

From her home in Østerbro, Copenhagen- and Madison, Wisconsin-based Danish author PERNILLE IPSEN talks about her book and collective memoir My Seven Mothers: Making a Family in the Danish Women's Movement which is an English translation and adaptation of the 2020 Montana Prize Danish original. She describes her mothers' roles in the 1970s Red Stockings and Lesbian Movements, and traces the differences between writing in English as a historian and in Danish as a nonfiction author.

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For today's episode, Pernille Ipsen chose Dea Trier Mørch's Fødsel, or Birth, from 1978 from the collection of the National Gallery of Denmark.

https://open.smk.dk/en/artwork/image/KKS2009-19

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Photographer: Bobbie Harte

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This conversation with Christian D. Bruun occurred on December 2, 2025.

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We invite you to subscribe to Danish Originals for weekly episodes. You can also find us at:

website: https://danishoriginals.com/

email: [email protected]

From her home in Mar Vista, Los Angeles, Ølstykke-born, Málaga, Spain-raised Danish photojournalist METTE LAMPCOV discusses her work in California documenting climate change and the work of undocumented agricultural workers. With expertise in water, forest, and fire ecology, she revisits her work on the Salton Sea and the Sequoia National Forest. Throughout, Mette shares her thoughts on the state of journalism and photojournalism, AI, and the effects of current US politics on her work.

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For today's episode, Mette Lampcov chose Anna Bjerger's Square from 2019 from the collection of the National Gallery of Denmark.

https://open.smk.dk/en/artwork/image/KMS8948   

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Photographer: Bruce Lampcov

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This conversation with Gregers Heering occurred on January 7, 2026.

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We invite you to subscribe to Danish Originals for weekly episodes. You can also find us at:

website: https://danishoriginals.com/                               

email: [email protected] 

From a recording studio in downtown Copenhagen, Siberian-born Danish journalist and author of I, Putin, SAMUEL RACHLIN recalls his parents' journey back to Denmark from exile, when he was ten. He talks about his natural urge to understand Russia, discovering the US in 1976, and his roles as the first news anchor for TV2 in 1988 and the first Washington Correspondent for TV2 in 1990. Returning from the US after 35 years, Samuel offers insights on the current absence of a rule-based world order.

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For today's episode, Samuel Rachlin chose Gerhard Henning's Stående nøgen pige, or Standing Nude Girl, from 1928–1929 from the collection of the National Gallery of Denmark.

https://open.smk.dk/en/artwork/image/KMS5856 

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Photographer: Balazs Veress

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This conversation with Asger Hussain occurred on January 27, 2026.

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We invite you to subscribe to Danish Originals for weekly episodes. You can also find us at:

website: https://danishoriginals.com/                               

email: [email protected]

From his home in Copenhagen, Gladsaxe-born Danish actor LARS MIKKELSEN talks about his role as Captain Anderson on Frankenstein (2025). He recalls his start as a street performer before Shakespeare sent him on his path to acting. Of his long career, Lars reflects on the TV series Sherlock, The Killing, and Borgen that brought him attention abroad and that led to the American series House of Cards. He talks about faith, Jante Law, his love for language, and seeking significance in his work.

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For today's episode, Lars Mikkelsen chose L.A. Ring's Når toget ventes. Jernbaneoverkørsel ved Roskilde Landevej, or Waiting for the Train. Level Crossing by Roskilde Highway, from 1914 from the collection of the National Gallery of Denmark.

https://open.smk.dk/en/artwork/image/DEP535 

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Photographer: Robin Skjoldborg

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This conversation with Tina Jøhnk Christensen occurred on January 13, 2026.

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We invite you to subscribe to Danish Originals for weekly episodes. You can also find us at:

website: https://danishoriginals.com/                              

email: [email protected]

In her West Hollywood family home, Germany-born, Southern California, Newport-Beach-based Danish-Brazilian entrepreneur NATASHA FISKER talks about her newest business venture, the science-backed skincare brand Checked Out that promises health and wellness that works overnight. Natasha further shares her thoughts on multiculturalism, her background in fashion technology, and the evolving trends of social media for marketing, from brand partnerships to influencer culture.

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For today's episode, Natasha Fisker chose Perseus og Andromeda, or Perseus and Andromeda, by an unknown artist from 1601–1652 from the collection of the National Gallery of Denmark.

https://open.smk.dk/en/artwork/image/KKSgb1399 

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Photographer: Leta Taylor

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This conversation with Christian D. Bruun occurred on February 1, 2026.

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We invite you to subscribe to Danish Originals for weekly episodes. You can also find us at:

website: https://danishoriginals.com/                              

email: [email protected]

In her home in Nørrebro, Germany-born, Kolding-raised, Danish-German film and TV editor OLIVIA NEERGAARD-HOLM talks about her process pre-, during, and post-production with her arthouse projects in various languages. She discusses creative ownership and revisits projects such as her 2015 one-take Berlin-set film Victoria, her 2025 US feature The Chronology of Water, and discusses the challenges with the 2024 biographical drama The Apprentice about Donald Trump's formative years. 

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For today's episode, Olivia Neergaard-Holm chose Martinus Rørbye's Udsigt fra kunstnerens vindue, or View from the Artist's Window, from 1823–1827 from the collection of the National Gallery of Denmark.

https://open.smk.dk/en/artwork/image/KMS7452 

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Photographer: Emily Turner

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This conversation with Asger Hussain occurred on November 12, 2025.

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We invite you to subscribe to Danish Originals for weekly episodes. You can also find us at:

website: https://danishoriginals.com/                             

email: [email protected]