The Queen

Synopsis: Hundreds of painted and photographic images exist of Queen Elizabeth II. Throughout her reign, she has inspired photographers and painters not only to embrace tradition but also to extend the genre of royal portraiture. To coincide with her Diamond Jubilee, this book presents portraits and images by artists including Dorothy Wilding, Cecil Beaton, Pietro Annigoni, Gerhard Richter, Patrick Lichfield, Andy Warhol, Lucian Freud, Gilbert & George, Hiroshi Sugimoto and Annie Leibovitz, that collectively chart the changing portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II, and the different ways in which her image has been appropriated and manipulated by artists as well as the mass-media. Over the last sixty years, the Queen's image has provided a fruitful and evocative area for investigation by a range of contemporary artists. Author Paul Moorhouse explores the complex evolution of these representations. Beginning with formal royal portraits, he probes the dialogue between traditional portraiture and a progressive informality in the mass-media. The author shows how this interaction has produced a new iconography that has profoundly extended the idea of the royal portrait and influenced the modern perception of monarchy. The author demonstrates that the broad range of artworks illustrated in the book provide a fascinating lens through which her reign may be viewed, evoking a wider artistic, social and historical context. The result is an inspirational book that sheds new light on the changing face of royal portraiture.