Beautiful colour illustrated exhibition catalogue by National Portrait Gallery, London. A ground-breaking survey of portraits of Queen Elizabeth II with iconic representations from 1952 to 2011.

Published to coincide with the Diamond Jubilee, contains fascinating analysis of the Queen as both a cultural and artistic icon, with work by Pietro Annigoni, Cecil Beaton, Annie Leibovitz, Gerhard Richter and Andy Warhol.

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 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.

He shows how this interaction has produced a new iconography that has profoundly influenced the modern perception of monarchy. Setting these developments within a wider social context, he demonstrates that the diverse and multi-faceted artworks illustrated in the book provide not only a lens through which her reign may be viewed, but also evoke a wider artistic, social and historical context.

With sections related to each decade of the Queen’s reign, and an illuminating essay exploring the reign and jubilees of Queen Elizabeth II by David Cannadine, this inspirational book sheds new light on the changing face of modern royalty.