Paleis het Loo, Apeldoorn
October 12, 2024 – 1 January 15, 2025
The Royal Palace turned museum, Paleis het Loo in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands are proud to present their contemporary exhibition Queens by Andy Warhol. Princes Beatrix of the Netherlands (formerly the Queen) opened the exhibition which features several of the portraits of her in Warhol’s famous series “Reigning Queens” from 1985.
As a young artist Andy Warhol wanted to become “as famous as the Queen of England” and his fascination with the mysterious glamour of Royals always remained closely connected to his Pop-Art practice of depicting iconic objects, images and people. Eventually this practice would make him one of the most famous pioneers of Post-War Art, making his royal dreams come true.
The Reigning Queens series by Andy Warhol was made several years before his passing in 1985 in two separate editions. One edition of 40 and one ‘Royal’ edition of 30 with ‘diamond dust’ (pulverized glass on the contour lines). The edition contains four portraits in different color schemes of the four different Reigning Queens at that time: Queen Elizabeth II of the UK, Queen Margarethe II of Denmark, Queen Ntombi Tfwala of Swaziland (today’s Eswatini) and of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.
Paleis Het Loo acquired an entire set of 16 prints in 1986 and now exhibits them all together at once.
It is very rare to be able to see a full set all at once of the Royal edition, it is even more special that one of the ‘Reining Queens’ herself is there to attend the opening of the exhibition.
Gallery Delaive itself has a long-standing relationship with Princes Beatrix and is in possession of several of the Reigning Queen prints, which will be shown in the gallery from November 17, 2024 in a show dedicated to Warhol prints.
The exhibition will be on view from October 12, 2024 – 1 January 15, 2025
