Queen Margrethe II of Denmark by Andy Warhol is a series of four screenprints from the 1985 Reigning Queens portfolio. Each portrait presents the Danish monarch in strict profile, cropped closely at the shoulders. Warhol builds the image through bold color fields. Saturated backgrounds contrast with flat passages of skin tone, while angular blocks of pinks, greens, and blues overlay the surface like collage fragments. Moreover, fine linework sharpens the Queen’s features. It guides the eye toward her jewelry, coiffed hair, and crown, which anchor the composition with ceremonial gravity. The images oscillate between reverance and distance, and as a result they feel both authoritative and strangely intimate.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark by Andy Warhol as Part of the Reigning Queens Portfolio
Warhol created the Reigning Queens portfolio in 1985 and included portraits of four contemporary monarchs: Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland, and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. Warhol conceived the series as a study of power, femininity, and visibility. Rather than historic rulers of the past, he chose women who actively governed in the modern media age.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark ascended the throne in 1972 and reigned for over five decades. Known for her intellect, artistic interests, and public composure, she became one of Europe’s most respected monarchs. Warhol responded to her official image with a blend of admiration and irony, transforming a formal state photograph into a Pop Art icon. His diary reveals his frustration when the portfolio was shown in the United States, as he believed Americans lacked interest in contemporary royalty. Nevertheless, the series has grown in stature, revealing how Warhol linked power, image-making, and public fascination across cultural boundaries.
Warhol, Power, and the Expansion of Celebrity
Although Warhol is often associated with movie stars and musicians, Reigning Queens reflects his broader interest in authority and public image. Throughout his career, Warhol expanded the idea of celebrity to include athletes, politicians, and global leaders. Works such as Mao, Vote McGovern, the Jimmy Carter portraits, and the Lenin series reveal how Warhol treated political figures with the same visual language he applied to pop icons. However, Warhol rarely approached power in a straightforward way.
In Reigning Queens, Warhol presents monarchy as a form of celebrity shaped by ritual, spectacle, and repetition. He famously resisted exhibiting the series in the United States, believing American audiences lacked interest in royalty. In his diary, he expressed frustration when publisher George Mulder showed the works domestically, insisting the portfolio was intended for Europe.
Color, Collage, and Royal Iconography
Despite their royal status, Warhol renders the queens through the same Pop sensibility found in his celebrity portraits. Bold color blocking, flattened forms, and decorative patches transform the monarchs into highly mediated images. In the Queen Margrethe II prints—particularly 342, 344, and 345—Warhol positions these color fragments to draw attention to jewelry and regalia.
This collage-like approach echoes visual strategies seen in Warhol’s Mick Jagger and Ladies and Gentlemen portfolios. At the same time, Warhol emphasizes the Queen’s carefully arranged hair and crown, reinforcing order, control, and continuity. The crown ultimately distinguishes these women from other celebrities, canonizing them as sovereign figures whose authority is both symbolic and real.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark in Warhol’s Larger Body of Work
The Queen Margrethe II portraits demonstrate how Warhol merged Pop aesthetics with institutional power. By treating monarchy as a modern image system, he revealed the shared mechanics behind fame, governance, and visual repetition. Today, the Reigning Queens portfolio stands as one of Warhol’s most sophisticated late-career projects. Collectors prize it for its elegance, restraint, and the insights it offers into how authority is constructed through image.
The Queen Margrethe II of Denmark suite consists of four screenprints: Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (342), Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (343), Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (344), and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (345).
Photo credits:
- Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark, 1972. Image: INTERFOTO / Alamy Stock Photo
- The first official photograph of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark after her ascension to the throne in 1972. Courtesy of the Hulton and Getty archives.
