Title: Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom 335
Medium: Screenprint on Lenox Museum Board.
Year: 1985
Size: 39 3/8″ x 31 1/2″
Edition: Edition of 40, 10 AP, 5 PP, 3 HC, 30 TP containing only one image of each queen, signed and numbered in pencil.

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom by Andy Warhol is part of the Reigning Queens portfolio he created in 1985. The portfolio consists of sixteen screenprints. Warhol’s portrait shows Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in her own right, rather than as a woman married to and represented by a king. Warhol’s intense pop rendering of Queen Elizabeth is an exhibition of female empowerment. Through the use of bright, vivid colors and his classic color blocking technique, Warhol accents her femininity and uses it to spark attention to the subject and illuminate her power. Her gentle facial features draw attention to her piercing blue eyes and her bright purple hair almost blends with the background, illuminating her accented crown and jewelry. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is exemplary of Andy Warhol’s pop art take on classic portraiture.