After many months of waiting, the long-awaited portrait of the monarchs by Annie Leibovitz, one of the world’s best photographers and 2013 Prince of Asturias Prize for Communication and Humanities recipient, has a viewing date. The new image, certainly one of the highest artistic quality produced to the date of Don Felipe and Dona Letizia, vIt will be released on Tuesday, November 26, and a day later it will be shown at an exhibition.n which will be open to the public in the collection of the Bank of Spain, the entity that commissioned the portrait painter.
© House of His Majesty the King / Estella de CastroIn addition to new snapshots of the monarchs, you’ll also see former governor Pablo Hernández de Cos. These will be the latest additions to the statues in the Bank’s gallery and will be the first time the medium used for these portraits is photography. In the exhibit, the title The Tyranny of CronusYou can see a selection of watches and works from the collection, created by artists from different backgrounds and historical moments, that question and transgress the hegemonic notion of time in capitalist society.
© House of HM the King / Estella de Castro
Thus, Annie Leibovitz’s new work will join the gallery of official portraits, which reflect the institution’s history almost uninterruptedly from the creation of the Bank of San Carlos in 1782 to the present day. This set is not exclusively made up of figurines of figures involved in the management of banking institutions (directors, governors or finance ministers), but represents the various kings who have reigned throughout the life of the institution. Charles III, Charles IV and Maria Luisa of Parma, to King Juan Carlos and Sofia. In this sense, it constitutes one of the best existing galleries to study the evolution of official portraiture in Spain since the Enlightenment.
© GTRESIt contains many of the great portrait painters who have worked in our country, starting with Francisco de Goya, author of the first six commissioned by the Banco de San Carlos, continuing with Vicente Lopez Or, more recently, as artists Isabel Quintanilla or Carmen Lafon. It is in this context that portraits of the present kings have to be constructed.
© GTRESA great portrait closes a great year
What will be one of the great portraits of Kings par excellence will serve to close out 2024. Don Felipe has completed ten years as sovereign and they have also completed 20 years of marriage (they married on May 22, 2004). This is the first time that Felipe and Letizia have been invited to pose by an institution other than the Royal House, since until now their official photos have always appeared as an initiative of Zarzuela Palace. The last such images of her are from February 2020, when Estela de Castro made a report in which she also immortalized Princesses Leonor and Infanta Sofia.
© Getty Images
Annie Leibovitz photographed the monarchs at the Royal Palace on February 7, a day when the building closed its doors to the public, and Don Felipe and Dona Letizia cleared their agenda throughout the day to be able to devote themselves fully to the pose. King arrived shortly before 1:30 p.m., when he was caught on camera Europa PressEnter through the main entrance, just off the Plaza de Oriente, in front of the Teatro Real. Throughout the day there was a continuous movement of vehicles entering and exiting the palace.
© GTRESPhotographer of stars and royalty
The kings are great fans of the 75-year-old American photographer. The Don Felipe Prince of Asturias Award ceremony called him a “universal” photographer and one “who developed his work with more intensity and a more aesthetic sense.” All his works, he said, “become a fascinating spectacle, a sculptural image, full of beauty. For the portrait of the kings, Leibowitz charged $150,000 (about 140,000 euros), established in the contract, according to EFE. His agent, Karen Mulligan, in September 2023 signed
© GTRESExpectations are high to see the work of a woman whose motto is: “Let my portraits resist the passage of time.” Since he started his career, Annie Leibovitz has worked for major international magazines and is the author of the most iconic photos of the 20th century, such as John Lennon and Yoko Ono embracing, pregnant Demi Moore nude, or Richard Nixon leaving the White House, among others. Mythical is the 90th birthday portrait of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, which hangs in London’s National Portrait Gallery, showing her walking through Windsor Castle, accompanied by her daughter Princess Anne and some of her friends.
