Queen Beatrix 339 by Andy Warhol depicts the Dutch monarch in soft peach and grey tones, accented with delicate red contour lines. Warhol centers her steady gaze and upright posture against a pale background, allowing the warmth of her lips, crown, and sash to guide the eye across the composition. The portrait feels calm and luminous, with its restrained palette highlighting Queen Beatrix’s poise rather than overwhelming the viewer with bold color.
Queen Beatrix in the Reigning Queens Series
Queen Beatrix 339 by Andy Warhol is a portrait from the Reigning Queens portfolio published in 1985. The series depicts sixteen portraits of ruling queens of the time. Included in this series are Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.
Princess Beatrix spent her early childhood in exile during World War II, returning to the Netherlands after the conflict ended. She later earned a degree in politics at Leiden University and ascended the throne in 1980 when her mother, Queen Juliana, abdicated. By the time Warhol created Queen Beatrix 339, she was in the first years of her reign. Even so, her composed gaze and upright posture already signal the authority and self-possession that would define her.
Warhol’s Approach to Power and Femininity
Warhol portrayed the queens as individual rulers, rather than women who married a king. His portraits for male leaders such as Mao Zedong, Alexander the Great, and Vladimir Lenin use bold colors rather than the softer palette he often applied to feminine portraits. However, this print incorporates both soft and bold elements. In Reigning Queens, he played on his subjects’ mystique and elegance. In his subsequent Reigning Queens (Royal Edition), he accented these portraits with diamond dust to further emphasize their glamour.
Surprisingly, Warhol did not want this series shown in America. In fact, he became infuriated with print publisher George Mulder for exhibiting the portfolio. Warhol expressed his frustration in his diary: “I had my opening at Leo Castelli’s to go to, of the Reigning Queens portfolio that I just hate George Mulder for showing here in America. They were supposed to be only for Europe—nobody here cares about royalty and it’ll be another bad review.”
Visual Choices in Queen Beatrix 339
Unlike some of the other portraits in the Reigning Queens series, such as Queen Margrethe II, Queen Beatrix wears minimal jewelry aside from her crown. She dons a sash and small pendant while diverging from Warhol’s typical glamorous style. He uses similar colors for the background and her skin tone, nearly washing out the subject. Yet the red highlighting brings attention to symbols of her authority. The sash, the queen’s hair, and her crown draw the viewer in, balancing elegance and quiet strength.
In Queen Beatrix 339, the use of warm reds and oranges recalls Warhol’s other political portraits. Rather than relying on soft tones to represent feminine grace, the warm palette underscores her status and power. Fame and beauty fascinated Warhol, and he was particularly drawn to feminine authority. Queen Beatrix 339 shows Warhol at his most elegant and sensitive, published during one of his most successful periods.
Photo credit: Queen Beatrix on her inauguration, 1980. Courtesy of the Royal House of the Netherlands.
