Andy Warhol - Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Screen Print (FS II.336)

Original Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Print by Andy Warhol

Queen Elizabeth II: 336 by Andy Warhol is a screenprint included in the Reigning Queens portfolio from 1985. The collection contains four prints each of the four female monarchs at the time including Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland, and above, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. For the basis of the Queen Elizabeth prints, Warhol used a photograph taken by Peter Grugeon at Windsor Castle in 1975; the same photo was released in 1977 to announce her Silver Jubilee.

This print in particular displays Queen Elizabeth’s female power with a strikingly bold hot pink background. This background emphasizes her empowering accessories: the gold tiara, necklace, and earrings. In Reigning Queens, Warhol continues to bring life to simplistic images, as he does with ordinary photographs, or common objects like Campbell’s Tomato Soup.