Andy Warhol’s ‘remarkable’ portrait of late Queen Elizabeth to be auctioned

By Pierra Willix, Press Association Senior Entertainment Reporter

An Andy Warhol portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth is expected to sell for up to €134,064 (£115,900) at auction.

Two pieces from Warhol’s Reigning Queens series will go under the hammer at Danish auction house Bruun Rasmussen Arts Auctioneers later this month.

The works depict Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

The portrait of the former British monarch was based on the official photograph taken by Peter Grugeon at Windsor Castle in 1975, which was later released for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977.

It is estimated the artwork will sell for between £92,800 and £115,900.

The portrait of Queen Margrethe II draws on the official coronation portrait taken by royal photographer Rigmor Mydtskov, which followed the Danish monarch’s accession to the throne in 1972.

That piece is set to fetch between £29,000 and £34,800.

Both queens are portrayed wearing royal orders, tiaras and ceremonial jewellery – with the pieces featuring Warhol’s photographic printmaking silkscreen technique and vivid Pop Art palette.

Bruun Rasmussen’s specialist in modern art Kathrine Eriksen said: “We are delighted to present these remarkable portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Margrethe II – two world-famous monarchs interpreted by Andy Warhol, the king of Pop Art who became an icon in his own right.”

Warhol created the Reigning Queens series in 1985 as a tribute to four reigning female monarchs who inherited their thrones by birthright: Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Margrethe II, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, and Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland.

Eriksen said: “The Reigning Queens series encapsulates Warhol’s fascination with global fame, social hierarchy and the immense power of media imagery.

“Today, Warhol’s works are almost as legendary as the monarchs themselves, each of whom left an enduring mark on history.”

Warhol’s series of portraits of the queens was issued in two editions – a standard edition comprising of 40 prints, and a Royal Edition of 30 works which had been decorated with “diamond dust”, crushed glass to make them sparkle in the light.

Four prints of Queen Elizabeth II from the Royal Edition were purchased by the Royal Collection in 2012 to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Bruun Rasmussen’s live auction begins on June 17th.