This afternoon, in the presence of Princess Beatrix, the exhibition ‘Queens by Andy Warhol’ was officially opened at Het Loo Palace. The exhibit features a series of sixteen prints, including one of Princess Beatrix herself.
Royal Edition
The series was released in 1985 in two editions: one with a limited run of 40 prints and a Royal Edition with diamond dust, limited to 30 prints. In 1986 Paleis Het Loo acquired a Royal Edition. This series is one of the few complete collections of its kind in the world. In the Royal Edition, the outlines of the portraits are highlighted with a layer of ‘diamond dust.’ The finely ground glass particles make the royal portraits shimmer. Paleis Het Loo is the only museum in Europe that owns a complete Royal Edition series.
“To see all sixteen prints together in one space is something I have been looking forward to for years. Now that it's finally here, it's even more beautiful than I could have imagined.”
Four Reigning Queens
The series depicts the reigning queens of 1985: Queen Beatrix, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and Queen Ntombi Tfwala of Swaziland, now known as the Kingdom of Eswatini. Warhol created four portraits of each queen in different color schemes.
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol (1928–1987), famous for his screen prints of Campbell’s soup cans and Coca-Cola bottles, created this remarkable series in 1985. "I want to be as famous as the Queen of England," Warhol said as a young artist. As a pioneer of the American Pop Art movement, he indeed became world-famous. Throughout his life, he remained fascinated by royal figures.
The exhibition “Queens by Andy Warhol” will be on display from October 12, 2024, to January 1, 2025, at Het Loo Palace.