In 1985, Andy Warhol turned his attention to royalty and created Reigning Queens, the artist's largest screenprint portfolio containing four color variations of each queen for a total of sixteen screenprints.
The set depicts the four reigning female sovereigns of the era, each of whom ascended the throne by birthright, rather than marriage: Queen Elizabeth II of England, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland. Warhol produced two editions of the portfolio in various colourways: 30 “Royal Edition” prints and 40 “Standard Edition” prints. The Royal Edition prints were adorned with "diamond dust", fine particles of ground glass that sparkle in the light like diamonds. The glamor of these special Royal Edition prints only adds to the regal appeal of these iconic figures who exist as symbols of female royal power. The King of Pop based his screenprint of Queen Elizabeth II on a photograph taken by Peter Grugeon at Windsor Castle in 1975 and published in 1977 for his Silver Jubilee.
Dressed in Vladimir's tiara, Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee necklace, Queen Alexandra's bridal earrings and the Family Order of King George VI pinned to the Garter sash, Warhol's subject is adorned with his inheritance.
The Queen of Grugeon's portrait has become one of her most famous images, used globally from currency to postage stamps
Estimate $200.000 – 300.000
This widespread reproduction of the Queen's image ties directly into Warhol's fascination with the mass replication and consumption of celebrity images. Warhol applied his pop aesthetic to a traditional state portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, stylizing her face with graphic lines and flat color blocks. The hot pink background matches the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebratory dress, consisting of a pink dress, coat and hat. Adding a touch of fluorescence, Warhol modernizes her majesty in fuchsia, fusing past and present in an image worthy of her legacy. Celebrating seventy years of service to the people of Great Britain and the Commonwealth, 2022 marks Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, the first British monarch to achieve this milestone. In 2012, to celebrate the Queen's diamond jubilee of sixty years on the throne, the Royal Collection acquired the four portraits of Queen Elizabeth II in various colors from Warhol's Reigning Queens (Royal Edition). This series of four works are the only portraits in the Royal Collection for which the Queen did not sit down. Upon completion of the portfolio, Sir William Heseltine, the Queen's private secretary, wrote to George Mulder, Warhol's European dealer, to acknowledge that Queen Elizabeth II was "very pleased and interested to see" the portraits.
