Andy Warhol - Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Screen Print (FS II.335)
Artist: Andy Warhol
Year: 1985
Medium: Screenprint on Lenox Museum Board
Edition: of 40
Size: 39.375 x 31.5 in.
Original Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Print by Andy Warhol
Queen Elizabeth II 335 by Andy Warhol is one of sixteen prints in the Reigning Queens series. Warhol debuted this collection two years before his death in 1985, featuring four female monarchs. All of the queens in the portfolio hold power in their own right, rather than obtaining it through marriage. The four queens include Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland, and above, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The collection depicts Warhol’s fascination with royalty, feminine power, and global figures.
The photos used in this collection were official or media photographs of the monarchs. For Queen Elizabeth II, Warhol chose the official photograph released for her Silver Jubilee in 1977, taken by Peter Grugeon in 1975. Warhol used the same photo for four prints of the queen, though each varies in color and composition.
