(Apeldoorn) Het Loo Palace, a former Dutch royal residence in Apeldoorn (center), is preparing to dust off a rare collection of silkscreen prints by Andy Warhol representing Queens Beatrix of the Netherlands and Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
Entitled “Royal Edition”, the exhibition presents a total of 16 prints made by the Pop Art pioneer shortly before his death in 1987, bearing the effigy of the four queens in power at the time.
In addition to Beatrix, former queen of the Netherlands present Thursday at the inauguration of the exhibition, and Elizabeth II, the series also includes portraits of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark as well as Queen Ntombi Tfwala of Eswatini, the ancient Swaziland.
PHOTO NICK GAMMON, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in front of her portrait
“It’s incredible to have them all, I could only look at one at a time because they were previously stored,” explains Hanna Klarenbeek, curator of the exhibition.
“Now you have this set, and [les portraits] interact with each other,” she adds.
PHOTO PETER DEJONG, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Portraits of Queen Ntombi Tfwala of Eswatini, former Swaziland
The particularity of this collection, adding to its royal status, is the scintillating effect that “diamond dust” gives to each portrait, a technique carried out using finely crushed pieces of glass adorning the features and contours of each person’s face. monarch.
The series Reigning Queens is characteristic of Pop Art, an American artistic movement consisting of elevating mass culture into the artistic sphere.
PHOTO PETER DEJONG, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Portraits of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
Het Loo Palace said this may be the last opportunity to view the works for a long time.
“Due to their inherent fragility, the exhibition offers the last chance to admire all sixteen diamond dust screenprints as a complete series, before they are shelved for a longer period” , explained the museum.
The exhibition will be held from October 12 to 1er January.