ANDY WARHOL, QUEEN MARGRETHE OF DENMARK (F. & S. II.344), REIGNING QUEENS SERIES, SIGNED SCREEN PRINT IN COLOURS, EDITION OF 40, 1985
Andy Warhol exhibits his enchantment with fame and royalty in his Queen Margrethe Of Denmark (F. & S. II.344) print that forms part of his Reigning Queens series from 1985. The female monarchs that he depicts would each have been reigning at the time Warhol made the prints. This print shows the traditional state portrait of Queen Margarethe, transformed into a lively Pop Art icon through the use of vivacious colours and flattened form.
Warhol references the art historical genre of the history painting, appropriating the traditional portrait of Queen Margrethe and revitalising her as a glamour icon, now visually consumed by popular kitsch culture. The image has blocks of blue, purple and pink colour that are seemingly collaged onto the print and Warhol draws attention to Queen Margarethe’s jewellery and facial features with freely drawn coloured lines. Her block mustard dress and red hair are contrasted against a white background creating a pleasant colour clash that renders the portrait even more striking.
Playing with the notion that the regal figures that Warhol depicts would have their portraits widely distributed to the masses on stamps, currency and mass-media, the artist uses the screen printing method to replicate this repetition of their image. The Reigning Queen series makes a statement on the way in which mass-produced images are used as symbols of power, as well as the way in which the monarch’s face has become a reproducible commodity.
Find out more about Reigning Queens by Andy Warhol.
ABOUT ANDY WARHOL
Andy Warhol (born Andrew Warhola) is a name synonymous with the celebrity culture and mass consumerism which coloured the boulevards of New York City in the Post World War II era. Born into a working class immigrant family in the urban landscape around the bustling metropolis, Warhol’s early life was characterised by a climb up the capitalist rungs of society.
The artist himself noted, “buying is more American than thinking, and I’m as American as they come”, this quote came to demarcate Warhol’s artistic practice as he embraced the commodification of the American Dream. The Pop artist’s beginnings in the business sector gave him the practical skill set to experiment with a more commercial approach to art throughout his career, particularly with regards to screen printing. Read more about Andy Warhol.
