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Musée du Louvre:  symbol of learning from great culture - Icons of Europe's basic theme.
Musée du Louvre, symbol of learning from great culture.

.About us
Icons of Europe
Culture enterprise
near Brussels

  Icons of Europe, Brussels
Icons of Europe

We produce publications and events based on our own investigations of great personalities in Europe’s history.
Cultural heritage is a source of knowledge and innovation.

Founded in 2001, Icons of Europe was inaugurated under the auspices of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. We joined a World Health Organization partnership in 2003. Our Icons concept was considered for the.policy book of the Group of 8 Summit 2009.
.
More about us | Contact us
@IconsEurope  @ChopinFryderyk  @KarlXII_Sverige
Domains for sale at sedo.com:  clubs.org  iconportal.com


New investigation 2020+

What happened to QUEEN CHRISTINA of Sweden's legendary art collection after her death in 1689?
In the wake of her book Charles XII: Regicide (2018), Cecilia Nordenkull Jorgensen takes as a starting point a French source saying that Karl XII brought the collection back from Rome with the help of Pope Clement XI (ref. her comment in Svenska Dagbladet on 14 June 2019).

Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689): Her legendary art collection is  investigated by Icons of Europe, Brussels.

A related finding of the new investigation may clarify for Louvre the circumstances of how Leonardo da Vinci's famous MONA.LISA portrait ended up in the French royal collection.

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci: Provenance investigated by Icons of Europe, Brussels.


The book « KARL XII: Kungamord »

Videos by the author Cecilia Nordenkull
-
The whole book (svenska, 4 min.) | English
- Mordet (svenska, 8 min.) | Interview (2 min.)
- Murder (English, 8 min.) | Assassinat (f
rançais)
- Händel, Bach, Karl XII (English, 6 min.) | Svenska

- Karl XII's new arithmetics (English, 6 min.)

- Voltaire / Karl XII (svenska, 8 min.) | FR | EN
.
More about the book and Charles XII

Amazon | Bokus, Adlibris (SE) | Back cover | Author
- Registered at the Royal Library of Sweden (KB)
- Look inside the book KARL XII: Kungamord

- Svenska Dagbladet / Cecilia Nordenkull re Karl XII
Seminar 1718, Norge | Video interview | Program
Göteborg Book Fair, September 2018
Hällekis Kuriren, Sverige (September 2018)
Halländsk bokmässa, November 2018 | Utställare

Twitter @KarlXII_Sverige |
FAQ and comments

The author Cecilia Nordenkull, Icons of Europe will present her new book "KARL XII: Kungamord" at BOKMÄSSAN Göteborg Book Fair, September 2018.

Cecilia Nordenkull konkluderar i KARL XII: Kungamord, att kungen mördades  av sin tyske svåger, Sveriges överbefälhavare  Fredrik av Hessen (sedermera kung av Sverige), med stöd av utländska makter.

"Boken inneholder revolusjonerendenye teorier, om hva som skjedde rundt Karl XII for 300.år siden."  -  Oberst Dag Strømsæther, Kommandant på Fredriksten festning, Halden (2018)


Göteborg Book Fair 2018

Cecilia Nordenkull presents her new book “KARL XII: Kungamord” at the Göteborg Book Fair 2018.

 History Seminar 2018, Halden, Norway

Cecilia Nordenkull presents her new book “KARL XII: Kungamord” at the Halden History Seminar 2018 in Norway. Cecilia Nordenkull presents her new book “KARL XII: Kungamord” at the Halden History Seminar 2018 in Norway.
"Stormaktspolitikk og en historie som er på høyde
med Kennedy-mordet ..." - the Mayor of Halden
Cecilia Nordenkull presents her new book “KARL XII: Kungamord” at the Halden History Seminar 2018 in Norway.

Halland Book Fair 2018

Cecilia Nordenkull presents her new book “KARL XII: Kungamord” at the Halland Book Fair 2018 in Kungsbacka.


Cecilia Nordenkull presents her new book “KARL XII: Kungamord” at the Halland Book Fair 2018 in Kungsbacka.

Cecilia Nordenkull presents her new book “KARL XII: Kungamord” at the Göteborg Book Fair 2018.

“...om boka Kungamord skulle få fast vitenskapelig mark under bena, er det duket for gigantisk omskrivning
av svensk og europeisk historie.” - Halden Arbeiderblad, Norge, 8 oktober 2018

Icons newly researched / Icon series (Click images)
Charles XII of Sweden (1682-1718):  the mystery of his death now resolved by Icons of Europe.
Charles XII of Sweden
Peter the Great of Russia (1772-1825), subject of investigative research by Icons of Europe, Brussels.
Peter the Great
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), subject of investigative research by Icons of Europe, Brussels.
Napoleon
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849), subject of investigative research, publications and musical events by Icons of Europe, Brussels.
Fryderyk Chopin
Shakespeare

Our letter in 2011 in
The New York Times

« An open-minded debate of Shakespeare’s identity could lead to important benefits ... “The one duty we owe to history is to rewrite it.”.»
Jenny Lind (1820-1887), subject of investigative research, publications and musical events by Icons of Europe, Brussels.
Jenny Lind
George Sand (1804-1876), subject of investigative research by Icons of Europe, Brussels.
George Sand
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), subject of investigative research by Icons of Europe, Brussels.
Oscar Wilde
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), subject of investigative research by Icons of Europe, Brussels.
Mendelssohn
William Shakespeare (1564-1616): authorship and parentage being investigated by Icons of Europe, Brussels.
Shakespeare

Publications in print (Click on the images)  Back to the top
“The one duty we owe to history is to rewrite it” - Oscar Wilde
"Chopin and The Swedish Nightingale" by Cecilia and Jens Jorgensen, Icons of Europe (2003). "Chopin's Dream" (2013), publication summarizing Icons of Europe's resaerch on Chopin and Jenny Lind.

"Bel Canto: Chopin Teaching the Art of Singing" (2013), publication of Icons Europe's research paper presented at a conference organized by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute.

The author Cecilia Nordenkull, Icons of Europe will present her new book "KARL XII: Kungamord" at BOKMÄSSAN Göteborg Book Fair, September 2018.

The 3 Icons of Europe publications at Amazon (in $, €) and bokus.com (in SEK, global shipping)

Books in the pipeline (Click on the images)  Back to the top

Our Chopin research unveils:

- The origin of Chopin's "well known song method" (UK 1840), and his tutoring of Jenny Lind (daughter of Karl XIV Johan = Jean Bernadotte) in singing and piano in 1841-1842; 

- Several cadenze Chopin appears to have created for his pupils, and how Jenny Lind inspired his music, tried four times to marry him, and made an arrangement of Mazurka Op..24/3 set to Italian words ("Faithful love ...").

- How Jenny Lind, monarchs, artists and the UN celebrated Chopin's legacy (Lind's role later covered up).

Evidence 2005 + Icon series | NIFC

"Fryderyk Chopin: Duchy of Warsaw" (2018), Icons of Europe publication based on investigation by Cecilia Nordenkull-Jorgensen.

"Bonaparte: Marseille 1793" (2017), Icons of Europe publication based on research by Cecilia Jorgensen.

"Peter the Great: Ättlingar i Sverige" (2016), Icons of Europe publicatio nbased on research by Cecilia Jorgensen.


 

 

     

Grapeshot cannon: image from the book "KARL XII: Kungamord!" by Cecilia Nordenkull, Icons of Europe, Brussels.

 

 

     
Correcting #FakeHistory

We are rewriting sections
of the official biographies of
the above Icons.

Books set for 2018 onwards

- Charles XII of Sweden
- Fryderyk Chopin*
- Peter the Great
- Napoleon Bonaparte
- Oscar Wilde

* Replaces Le.Rêve.de.Chopin.

Recent discoveries

1. How and why Charles XII was murdered in 1718.
2. Chopin taught sopranos the
    Art of singing (voice coach).
3. Surprising links between
    Napoleon and Chopin.
4. Napoleon met François Clary
    at a supper in 1793.
5. Tsar Peter's grandson
    Alexander born secretly 1723.
6. Shakespeare worked with
    a stable of bards. His parents ...
7. Oscar Wilde's true story.
8.  An odd Nobel Prize in 1923.

"Our view of facts thought to be known can change."

Prof. Dr Irena Poniatowska, Institute of Musicology, University of Warsaw, president of the Polish Chopin Academy, and member of the Program Board of the Fryderyk Chopin Institute - commenting in Chopin in the World on Icons of Europe's first book Chopin and The Swedish Nightingale (2003).


Co-productions (Click on the images)  Back to the top
Our investigative research of Icons is a rich source of content for multimedia applications

"La Mort de Chopin", lithograph after Félix Barrias painting (1883). Icons of Europe's research overturns a myth about the scenario.
Musical drama: "Chopin and The Nightingale"
Six acts for piano, two sopranos and narrator

After the performance in Warsaw 2004, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom wrote to his government:  "It ingeniously brought together historical and musical elements from all over Europe to bring out the seamlessness of great European culture."

Jenny Lind Gala Concert "The Dream of Chopin" produced by Icons of Europe in Christ Church, Malvern, Worcestershire, UK, 13 June 2013. Copyright © 2013 Icons of Europe, Brussels.
Concert with a story for piano, soprano and narrator
"The Dream of Chopin" | Video snippets


Great moments (Click on the images)  Back to the top
Astoria Brussels, Swedish Embassy Warsaw, Royal Ontario Museum, Private home, Hôtel Prince de Galles Paris, Christ Church (Malvern, UK), New York Opera Museum, BBC ...
Chamber music concert produced by Icons of Europe in Brussels in 2002 to celebrate the EU enlargement. Copyright © 2002 Icons of Europe, Brussels.
Chamber music by seven composers | Video
Celebration of the EU enlargement, 2002
"Chopin and The Nightingale" (Lasne 2003), musical drama written and produced by Icons of Europe. Copyright © 2003 Icons of Europe, Brussels.
Musical drama with high-level patronage
Brussels | Warsaw | Toronto | New York
Piano recital at Hôtel Prince de Galles, Paris to celebrate Icons of Europe's discovery of the hotel today housing the space of Chopin's appartment at 74, Rue de Chaillot.
BBC / Icons of Europe film on Chopin, 2010
Concert at Hôtel PdG | 74, Rue de Chaillot
Chagall's large painting "The Concert" (1957) with Chopin symbolism discovered by Icons of Europe. Decoding of symbolism in artwork ("Aha!  ...")
Chagall's "Le Concert" (1957) ~ "Rêve de Chopin" (1859)

Also celebrated by us (Click on the images)  Back
POLAND's cultural heritage
 
Detail of the Chopin monument in Lazienki Park, Warsaw.The Orpheus symbolism has been explained by Icons of Europe, Brussels. The ancient Polish coronation sword that (together with Chopin manuscripts and other priceless Polish treasures) was kept in safekeeping in Canada during World War2 (ref. research by Icons of Europe, Brussels).
- Notably on Chopin's life, music and legacy.
-
BBC / Icons of Europe film on Chopin, 2010.
- World's largest Twitter on @ChopinFryderyk
- Also:  EU Commission | Polish treasures, WW2.
- Symbolism in artworks celebrating Chopin.
- Fryderyk Chopin Institute consulted periodically.
- Below:  Chopin experts and Polish ambassadors.
Legendary Icons

Andersen, Bach, Bartók, Beethoven Jean Bernadotte, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Dvořák, Einstein, Manuel Garcia Sr, Holmboe, Karl XII, Kodály, Jenny Lind, Liszt, Martinu, Mendelssohn, Newton, Paderewski, Tsar Peter, Rachmaninov, Ravel, George Sand, Scriabin, Shakespeare, Thomas Tellefsen, Verdi, Pauline Viardot, Queen Victoria, Wagner, Oscar Wilde ... 

Events of national significance
  Icons / country

- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Poland
- Spain
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
- Whole of Europe


Patronage and sponsorship (Click on the logos)  Back




 

Chopin and The Nightingale
Musical drama, Lasne 2003

Ambassador of Poland to Belgium
Ambassador of Sweden
Ambassador of France
Ambassador of the United Kingdom
Ambassador of Germany
Ambassador of Denmark
Ambassador of Sweden to Poland

Royal Danish Embassy
Brussels


 

Chopin and The Nightingale
Concert and Drama, Toronto 2005

Patronage by:
British High Commissioner to Canada
H.E. Mr David Reddaway CMG MBE

With the endorsement of:
Consulate General of Poland in Toronto
Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw
Embassy of Canada in Brussels
Stop TB Canada

Supported by:
Toronto Public Health
Public Health Agency of Canada
World Health Organization


Programme

More about us (Click on the images)  Back
If the columns below are distorted on your iPhone, tilt it landscape and back again.
Organization of Icons of Europe

Founded in 2001, Icons of Europe was inaugurated under the auspices of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr.Walter.SCHWIMMER.

Jens Anker Jorgensen (Danish), co-founder of Icons of Europe, held formerly senior positions in multinational companies. MSc, MBA Insead, five languages. Connected with Freiherr Adolph Franz Friedrich Ludwig Knigge. Some 80 letters published in The International New York Times in 1993-2015. Tweeting on leadership and foreign policy.

Cecilia Nordenkull Jorgensen
(Swedish),
co-founder of Icons of Europe, is a former vice-president of JP.Morgan. Internet pioneer. MBA Boston University, five languages. She is a direct descendant of Gustav Vasa of Sweden and Peter the Great of Russia (ancestral links to Poland).

Daniel Blumenthal (American), renowned concert pianist, professor at the Royal Flemish Conservatory in Brussels.  Contributor to Queen Elisabeth Competition. Musical advisor to Icons of Europe.

We work with multilingual editorial teams and mobilize additional resources through patronage, sponsorships and subcontracting.

Investigations = key

På svenska:  Icons of Europe, Bryssel, invigt 2002 under beskydd av Europarådets generalsekreterare Walter Schwimmer, ägnar sig åt utredningar och publikationer om stora personligheter i Europas historia.

Purpose of our investigative research, publications, events, advice:  To align legacy or symbolism of Icons of art, music, literature, science, governance in support of objectives of key institutions (re. identity, innovation, diplomacy, trade, tourism, health, post-truth).

Research policy:  We prefer
original period information, cross-checked in context and timeline, rather than relying on biographies. 
About "historical truth".

 

Music in Lasne
(piano, voice, cello)

Three Chinese pianists in the
Queen Elisabeth Competition 2003

Event | Music | Interview
 

"Chopin and The Nightingale" (Lasne 2003), musical drama written and produced by Icons of Europe. Copyright © 2003 Icons of Europe, Brussels. Recital at Icons of Europe: « DVORAK and BRAHMS: Creative friendship ». Copyright © 2004 Icons of Europe, Brussels.

Moreover:
Beethoven, Debussy, Liszt, Chopin
Musical drama, Brahms, Dvorak
Site plan | Timeline | Credit

Cecilia Nordenkull >>
Karl XII seminar in Norway >>
(photo: Tom Skjeklesæther,
Halden Arbeiderblad).
Interviewed by the mayor.

Consultations with
The Fryderyk Chopin
Institute (NIFC)


- FC Museum, 2003
- Prof. Poniatowska, 2003
- Publications, 2003-2004
- Experts roundtable, 2004
- New research report, 2005
- Prof. Tomaszewski, 2005

- Director of NIFC, 2006
- BBC film on Chopin, 2010
- Paris conference, 2013
- Experts say | En français

Comments by patrons

- Polish Ambassador to BE
- Czech Ambassador to BE
- SE Ambassador to PL
- Toronto City Councillor
- British High Commission
- Mayor of Lodz, Poland
- Polish Ambassador to EU
- Testimonials by guests

Cecilia Nordenkull-Jorgensen, Icons of Europe (Brussels) presenting her new book « KARL XII: Kungamord » at Halden’s History Seminar 1718 in Norway on 6 October 2018.


Patrons of the arts
The founders of
Icons of Europe have provided financial support, as MasterBuilders, to the renovation of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.

The founders of Icons of Europe have provided financial support to the renevotaion of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.

 

WHO's Stop TB Partnership
As a Stop-TB partner, we have provided advocacy on the tuberculosis fight since 2003 through musical events and artistic publications as well as financial support. Chopin and many other Icons died of TB.  This infectious disease has re-emerged as a global killer in the 21st century (aggravated by multidrugs resistance).
  Edvard Munch: "The Sick Child I", lithograph, 1896.


Icons of Europe

The logo of Icons of Europe, a registered trademark, was introduced in 2004.
The rainbow symbolizes the value of great culture:  knowledge and inspiration.

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Some of the videos may only work with a PC (not an iPAD or SmartPhone).