Royalty in the News

While her parents and brother are in Vancouver for the Winter Olympics, and her sister-in-law recovering from a pelvic injury, Norway’s Princess Martha Louise has been busy representing the royal family. On Friday, she opened an art exhibit in Nittedal, which had works done by mentally challenged people.

Nigel Waldron/Getty Images

Called “Noses Smell Tulips,” the exhibit features 30 works by those with various forms of mental disabilities and also displays their works in comparison to those who are not disabled.

In her inaugural speech, Martha Louise said, “In the exhibition we will soon see, the pictures painted by artists with intellectual disabilities in dialogue with the images painted by the so-called established artists. This can be challenging. How will we know whether the artist’s background affect the experience of the work? If we manage to connect us from everything we know about the artists might experience something different. We forget that it has to with different assumptions.”

The Princess was a likely choice to open this event, since she is patron of Norway’s Special Olympics.

Although Martha Louise is a member of the royal family, she gave up her royal title “Her Royal Highness” when she married author Ari Behn. The Princess is simply known as “Her Highness” and she is fourth in line to the Norwegian throne.