Andy Warhol Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland (F & S II.346 - 349) For Sale

Reigning Queens is a large series of portraits of four world Queens executed by Warhol in 1985. The present suite of portraits is of Queen Ntombi Twala, at the time of painting Queen Regent. As the only portrait of a non-Western Queen and a woman of colour, this work holds a place of inestimable importance.  

In tribute to her cultural heritage, each portrait of Queen Ntombi Twala is blazes with bright colours that recall the sun and heat of Africa in oranges and red. As with other portraits in Reigning Queens, the Monarch is stylised in their traditional dress: what is distinctive about Ntombi is her fantastic crown, which Warhol retraces and colours - as well as patterned bodice and gold necklace. This distinction is not just an aesthetic one, as Ntombi also stands out as not just a monarch in her culture, but a spiritual head of State.  

This suite is a triumphant example of Warhol’s ability to select and curate public images, appropriating them to make the viewer understand their importance. In Reigning Queens, Warhol chose four Queens: Elizabeth, Beatrix, Magrethe and Ntombi, and portrays them as them as ultimate modern female icons, empowered both in their social status and beauty.