Andy Warhol Auction Record: Queen Elizabeth II

Six days since her passing, as we await centuries old tradition to pass in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II's reign, today Her Majesty proved to be the truest icon of popular culture, typified in one of Andy Warhol's extraordinary portraits.

Today two Queen Elizabeth II prints from Warhol’s Royal Edition of Reigning Queens (1985) have sold for £529,200 and £554,400 at a Sotheby’s London online sale.

More than doubling their pre-sale estimates, the sale of these two iconic and enduring images of the late monarch have set a world record for the Queen Elizabeth II prints.

2022 has undoubtedly been the most notable in recent years for Queen Elizabeth II. With the celebration of her Platinum Jubilee in June, and the sad loss of Her Majesty this month, the image of Queen Elizabeth is currently at its most prolific.

Andy Warhol’s Queen Elizabeth prints from 1985, produced in limited edition series, are now some of the most highly sought after on the secondary print market. In this historic and final year of the monarch’s reign, collectors across the world are avidly looking to get their hands on one of these special images of the Queen.

In the last 5-10 years it has not been uncommon to see individual Queen Elizabeth II prints being offered from £150,000-£200,000. These prices have placed them in the upper echelon of the Warhol's graphics, but in light of recent events, the Queen Elizabeth II prints have shot up in value.

Queen Elizabeth II (F. & S. II.336) by Andy Warhol

Prior to today's sales, in the last five years, the Royal Edition Queen Elizabeth II prints have overall seen a 437.6% increase in value. Today that went up to a staggering 639.2% increase in value, when two Queen Elizabeth IIs from the Royal Edition realised £529,200 and £554,400 at a Sotheby’s London sale.

Queen Elizabeth II (F. & S. II.336a), that realised £529,200 today at Sotheby’s, has witnessed an extraordinary increase in value. Selling for just £10,800 in June 2005, and then £200,00 in March 2020, today’s sale marks a 4800% value increase from when it first hit the secondary market over 17 years ago.

Queen Elizabeth II (F. & S. II.337a) has witnessed a similar trajectory since 2010, when it sold for £52,881. Since then it has consistently outdone itself at auction, selling for £100,000 in 2019, £151,200 in 2021 and now in 2022 going for £554,400. This represents an enormous 948.% value increase on this single print. A wonderful record that will set the tone for the market in the coming months.