Denmark Embassy honors Bill Clinton with a portrait

WASHINGTON -- There's a new portrait of former president Bill Clinton in Washington, and it's hanging at the home of a good friend.

On Thursday, the ambassador of Denmark honored Clinton – who told the Danish people in 1997 that "all Americans know they have a friend in Denmark" – with the unveiling of Clinton's portrait at the Embassy of Denmark in Washington. .

Ambassador Peter Taksøe-Jensen said he wanted to recognize Clinton's attention to the Danish country during his presidency.

Before a crowd of more than 100, Clinton fondly expressed his feelings for Denmark.

"I hope every time somebody sees this picture they'll remember what Denmark and the United States did together in those long ago days," he said. "I hope they remember that in every election massive numbers of people show up however they vote. I hope they remember that the average citizen in the world is contributing real work."

​Clinton's visit to the embassy came after police arrested a white man in the slaying of nine African Americans in a Charleston, S.C., church Wednesday night. Clinton spoke of the tragedy, noting how far all countries still have to go in terms of finding equality and peace across races.

"If you look at this awful tragedy we saw today ... it is another example of what has been done in a world filled with modern technology and possibilities, but troubled by the oldest problem in human society: negative identity, politics, economics and psychology," Clinton said.

Clinton was the first sitting U.S. president to visit Denmark. He made the trip in 1997 during his second term in office, where he recounted his trip abroad to the country during his college years in 1969.

"We can all learn from your efforts to educate your people for a lifetime, giving them the tools necessary to make the most of their own lives in this time of global economic and technical (change)," Clinton told the crowd.

Former president George W. Bush followed Clinton's lead with a visit in 2005, and President Obama visited the country in 2009.

In an interview after the event, Taksøe-Jensen said the portrait is a reminder of the relationship Clinton built with the Danish people – and choosing Clinton to represent this relationship was "a no-brainer."

"When we had to decide who should be on the portrait, it took not so long to think that Clinton could be the person who could best symbolize the relationship between Denmark and the United States, and Danes and the American people," he said.

Danish artist Gugger Petter painted the portrait and gifted it to the embassy.

The decision to create the portrait came after trying to find a replacement for one of Obama that previously sat in the embassy. Obama's portrait, which Petter also painted, is was displayed in the Museum of National History at the Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark for three months.

Petter took newspaper clippings from The Washington Post and the Arkansas-Democrat to construct the portrait. Though she never met Clinton until Thursday evening, she aimed to represent his "intelligence and charisma" in the piece.

"I'm very honored by it, and thankful," Petter told Paste BN. "It was a privilege. The Danish people really have a profound respect for the president."

Denmark is an ally to NATO and has aided the U.S. in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The relationship between Denmark and the U.S. dates back to 1792, when Denmark recognized the USA's independence from Britain.

The U.S. and Denmark established diplomatic relations in 1801.

The portrait will be displayed permanently at the embassy.