Andy Warhol - Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Screen Print (FS II.334)

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

Andy Warhol’s Queen Elizabeth II 334 is a screenprint included in his Reigning Queens portfolio. Warhol completed the series in 1985, just two years before his death. As one of his largest portfolios, Reigning Queens contains 16 prints, depicting four different monarchs of the time (although the edition size is one of his smallest). The series includes Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland, and Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Warhol later produced a “Royal Edition” of Reigning Queens, which incorporates diamond dust to give the prints a sparkly effect.

To create the portfolio, Warhol used the official photograph released to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. Photographer Peter Grugen took the Queen’s portrait at Windsor Castle in 1975. Official portraits of monarchs like those Warhol used for this series often appear on currency and stamps, once again evoking the artist’s fascination for mass production and repetition. After using a photograph for the screen print, Warhol overlaid abstract blocks of color, similar to his collage-like Mick Jagger series. Using the silkscreen method, he was also able to highlight the queens’ jewelry, emphasizing their royal standing. These portraits are large and filled with extravagant colors, reflecting society’s view of the queens.