When Lennart Nilsson was selected for the Portrait of Honour, he asked Irving Penn to be the photographer. The portrait was shot in New York, where Nilsson – as requested by Penn – was dressed for the occasion in a specially purchased fur hat and suede coat, all associated with people from the Nordic countries. Like all Penn’s work, the staged presentation is characterised by a tremendous sense of presence and perfection. It was a particular honour that the portrait was a gift from Penn, as a celebration of his friend Lennart Nilsson.