New portraits of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, taken by the outstanding American photographer Annie Leibovitz, were exhibited in the Bank of Spain. The works will be available to the audience until March 29 next year.
Portraits of Spain's King Felipe VI and his wife Queen Letizia by renowned American photographer Annie Leibovitz were exhibited at the Bank of Spain in Madrid on Monday. As the website “El Pais” emphasizes, Leibovitz is one of the most important and most paid photographers in the world, and the premiere of his works is always an important event. The newspaper adds that the royal couple is usually in control of how they are portrayed in these types of projects, but this time all the decisions regarding the portraits were made by the artist himself. SEE ALSO: World's oldest painting discovered. It is at least 52,000 years old – He had complete freedom, from the choice of scenery to the clothes he wore, – explained Yolanda Romero Gómez, historian and director of heritage conservation at the Bank of Spain, during the presentation of the portraits. The photoshoot for the royal couple took place on February 7 and “lasted about five hours”. It was intimate and the work team consisted of only five people. We see Philip VI in formal military uniform and Letizia in a black dress covered in silk tulle and a fuchsia gown.
Portrait of Queen Letizia BLANCA MILLEZ / EPA / PAP
“El Pais” reports that the American artist considered various places in the Royal Palace, including the gardens, but finally decided on the Gasparini room, which was built during the reign of Charles III for his private audiences. The photos clearly show the decoration of the house, including the marble floor, the curtains embroidered with silk, gold and silver threads, and the precious wooden furniture.
Portrait of King Philip of Spain VIBLANCA MILLEZ / EPA / PAP
– We received photographic portraits, but surprisingly, they are very artistic: they are made not on photographic paper, but on paper, which contributes to the impression of viewing the picture, – said Yolanda Romero. – In this way, the artist follows the tradition of the Spanish institutional portrait. In his composition, we see references to the court portrait painter Velázquez, who was able to create an illusion in the viewer, as if he is a witness of this scene, he can almost enter the picture. This impression is strengthened by the size of the paintings, the art expert added. The works will be open for visitors from November 27 to March 29 next year, and then they will be transferred to the boardroom of the Bank's board. The Bank of Spain houses works by some of the most famous portrait painters in history, including Goya, Vicente López, Madrazo and Gutierrez de la Vega. Now Annie Leibovitz joined them.
Leibovitz created many outstanding photographs. He got John Lennon to do a nude photo shoot with Yoko Ono. He convinced Demi Moore to pose naked when she was seven months pregnant. He posted a photo of Whoopi Goldberg in a bathtub full of milk and Mikhail Gorbachev sitting in a car with the remains of the Berlin Wall visible outside the windows.
SEE ALSO: Picasso's paintings ended up in a women's toilet. After the court decision
Main photo: BLANCA MILLEZ/EPA/PAP
