Nobel winner Morten Meldal honoured in new artwork

There was a buzz of anticipation when the new portrait of University of Copenhagen (UCPH) professor and Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, Morten Meldal, was unveiled on 15 January 2026 at Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød.

When the cloth was finally pulled away and the portrait revealed, the chemistry professor appeared in his white lab coat with safety goggles. Meldal is depicted hands raised as if he is making a point, or organising his thinking out loud.

Of course you should be up on the wall when you’ve won a Nobel Prize

David Dreyer Lassen, rector of the University of Copenhagen

The portrait will become part of the national portrait collection at Frederiksborg, which includes depictions of the most important and influential monarchs, politicians, artists, scientists, and athletes in Danish history.

It was a proud Morten Meldal who spoke to the University Post after the unveiling.

»It’s a tremendous honour,« he said, comparing the experience to when he received the Nobel Prize.

READ ALSO: University of Copenhagen’s Morten Meldal wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry: »I’m very, very happy«

Morten Meldal described it as a surreal feeling to be placed among »these great Danes«, as he put it himself. In his daily life, he doesn’t go about feeling he is someone special.

»But it is, apparently, a big deal to get a Nobel Prize,« he said, adding that he is grateful to the many people who over the course of many years joined him in the lab and helped build the scientific foundation that made the Nobel-winning discovery possible.

When chemistry clicked

Morten Meldal, together with two US researchers, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2022 for the development of so-called click chemistry. It is a method for assembling molecules quickly and precisely, and it has had a major impact on things like drug development.

Morten Meldal himself describes click chemistry as building blocks that can be snapped together, and the method is currently used in laboratories throughout the world.

Also present at the evening ceremony was the rector of the University of Copenhagen, David Dreyer Lassen, who expressed pride in having a UCPH professor as part of the prestigious collection.

»It’s rare for new portraits to be added to the gallery, and of course you should be up on the wall when you’ve won a Nobel Prize. We don’t have as many of those as we’d like in Denmark, but the fact that Morten is now up there where he belongs — that’s lovely to see,« the rector said to the University Post.

The last person to be included in the collection was the Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen.

READ ALSO: Nobel Prize winner Morten Meldal: »I can assure you that it is not always the best projects that are funded«

Nerve-racking exam

The artist behind the portrait of Morten Meldal is John Kørner, who said he saw the commission as a challenge — in particular because he hasn’t done that many portraits before.

»To be honest, I don’t have much experience with portraits. But it’s always fun to dive in at the deep end,« he told the University Post.

According to John Kørner, he was given complete artistic freedom for the portrait. At first he thought there must have been some kind of mistake — his style as an artist is far from that of a classic portrait. But that was exactly what they wanted: A portrait that would go beyond the traditional face illuminated against a dark background, and exploit the entire frame and canvas.

Morten was quick to say that everything is chemistry. To which I replied, everything is problems

John Kørner, artist behind the portrait

»Portrait painting is one of the oldest traditions in my field. So it’s almost like sitting for an exam — having to discover, or contribute something new to this genre,« said John Kørner.

He quickly developed a strong connection with Morten Meldal, and their conversations about chemistry were inspiring, he said. A shared approach emerged, even though they come from two different professions:

»Morten was quick to say that everything is chemistry. To which I replied, everything is problems.«

Here, Meldal was also able to draw parallels to the natural sciences’ own search for solutions to complex problems.

A face without facial features

The chemistry professor said that he himself was »very, very pleased« with the portrait.

»He’s captured all the intensity in my expression with the lines around the face — without drawing a single line within the face itself,« said Morten Meldal.

He also interprets the colours and mood of the painting as a playful take on the broad public perception of chemistry as something both fascinating and potentially dangerous.

»And I just love being in the lab. So the picture really fits that situation well.«

The portrait can be viewed as part of the national portrait collection at Frederiksborg Castle from 16 January.

This article was first written in Danish and published on 16 January 2026. It has been translated into English and post-edited by Mike Young.