- 'Like a quake': Beirut shaken after deadliest strikes on centre
- Fallen giants Ghana in AFCON trouble after Sudan draw
- Asian leaders meet in Laos with US, Russia on world turmoil
- England gamble backfires as Pavlidis fires emotional Greece to victory
- Obama stumps for Harris, Trump talks US protectionism
- New-look France ease past Israel in Nations League
- Belgium fight back to draw with 10-man Italy in Nations League
- 'Get a life': Hurricane whips up US election storm
- Japan stay perfect in World Cup qualifying
- Relief as Lebanon evacuees dock in Turkey
- Lebanon says 22 dead in Israeli strikes on central Beirut
- NBA boss Silver sees games back in China 'at some point'
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Table tennis and Netflix push Ukraine teen into French Open contention
- Civilians flee Gaza's Jabalia in tightening Israeli siege
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 18
- At least 10 dead in Florida from tornadoes caused by Hurricane Milton
- Warhol's rare 'Queen' collection opens at Dutch museum
- Three-time NBA champion Green retires
- MLB Twins up for sale after 40 years
- S.Sudan floods affect 893,000, over 241,000 displaced: UN
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Windies sweat on injury to 'crucial' Taylor at World Cup
- Lebanon says 11 dead, 48 injured in Israeli strikes on Beirut
- Panama lashes out at EU over tax haven 'outrage'
- Erdogan says Gaza 'shame of humanity', calls for permanent ceasfire
- TD Bank to pay more than $3 bn to US in money-laundering case
- SAfrica prosecutors drop criminal complaint against president
- 'Good opportunity': Nagelsmann upbeat despite Germany's long injury list
- Hurricane whips up bitter US election battle
- Cameroon bans media talk of president's health amid rumours
- NFL MVP Jackson and rookie phenom Daniels set for showdown
- Chad's capital under threat as floodwaters rise
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit central Beirut
- No answers on strike on reporters in Lebanon one year on: watchdog
- Ramharack picks four wickets as Windies beat Bangladesh in Women's T20 World Cup
- France's City of Light switches to climate-resilient power cables
- Djokovic hails Nadal 'legacy' as Alcaraz in 'shock' over retirement
- Obama hits campaign trail for Harris
- Delta eyes Election Day travel pullback as profits climb
- Djokovic tells Nadal: 'Your legacy will live forever'
- Ethel Kennedy, wife of RFK, dead at 96
- Zelensky denies ceasefire with Russia under discussion on trip
- Florida battered by hurricane, floods but spared 'worst-case scenario'
- After long fight for glory, Nadal leaves with a legacy of memories
- Home hopes Zheng and Wang through to last-eight in Wuhan Open
- UN peacekeepers say Israel fired on Lebanon HQ, injuring 2
- UK's William and Kate in first joint public engagement since cancer treatment
- Alcaraz out as top players pay tribute to Nadal at Shanghai Masters
- Racing's Farrell 'not thinking' about British and Irish Lions
Warhol's rare 'Queen' collection opens at Dutch museum
A Dutch museum is dusting off a rare collection of prints by Andy Warhol of female royalty, made shortly before the pop art icon's untimely death 36 years ago.
Entitled "Royal Edition", the exhibition at the stately Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn will feature 16 prints that Warhol made of reigning queens.
Among the portraits are also that of the former Dutch queen, now Princess Beatrix, who officially opened the show in the central Dutch city on Thursday.
"Today, the Paleis Het Loo is the only museum in Europe to hold all 16 prints of Warhol's diamond dusted 'Royal Edition' in its collection," the museum's curator Hanna Klarenbeek told AFP.
Het Loo had "one of the few complete museum collections worldwide, having purchased the series in 1986 just one year after its creation," she said.
Apart from Beatrix, the series also features prints of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Queen Ntombi Tfwala of Eswatini, formerly Swaziland.
"These four were the only reigning queens at the time," the museum said.
Only at the end of his life did Warhol have the idea to portray the four queens.
The artist produced two editions of the reigning queens series: a normal edition of 40 copies and this 'Royal Edition' of "diamond dusted" copies.
The "diamond dusted" prints are unique because Warhol accentuated their contour lines with finely ground pieces of glass to make the portraits glitter, the museum said.
Warhol made four portraits of each queen, each differing in colour scheme and in the squares and rectangles distributed over them.
Among them, the portraits of Queen Beatrix stand out, Warhol said at the time.
Hers was "the best looking one of the whole bunch!" the museum quoted him as saying.
"Warhol's 'Reigning Queens' series is characteristic of his work as a pioneer of the American Pop Art movement, elevating everyday subjects to art," it added.
The Het Loo museum said it may be the last time admirers will be able to view Warhol's queens for a while, "because of their inherent fragility".
Andy Warhol died on February 22, 1987 in New York, aged 58.
The exhibition runs from Friday until January 1 next year.
P.Santos--AMWN