Artist Lincoln Townley Unveils Painting in His Icons Collection – HM the Queen

The London born artist has achieved global recognition for his Icons, a collection of portraits of the world’s biggest and most powerful stars.

The latest addition to his extremely successful Icons collection is a portrait to celebrate the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II.

The original oil and acrylic painting which has been created In a “Warhol” style and features four faces of the Queen in different colours was bought within minutes of its release by an American collector.

The details of the sale remain private but the image is believed to have been sold for more than Lincoln’s portrait of David Bowie which due to the Bowie mania shortly after his death fetched £250,000 in a bidding war in March earlier this year.

Lincoln Townley said: “The Queen is more than the ‘Icon of Icons’. There is probably no living head of state or public figure anywhere in the world who is as recognisable and who commands as much respect as the Queen. Throughout sixty years on the throne she has sustained an astonishing work ethic based on a deep sense of public service. Whether you are a monarchist or not, you have to admire the resilience and personal power of the Queen.”

The portrait will be unveiled at ‘LA to London Street Week’, a major art event during Brit Week in Los Angeles. It is due to be held on the 29th and 30th April on Wilshire Boulevard. In addition to the piece being unveiled at the show the quadriptic image of the Queen will be used on shirts which will be available at the event which are being supplied by Los Angeles menswear designers Departed who are one of the official sponsors of the event.

To celebrate Lincoln’s involvement in this iconic event he has collaborated with The Godfather of Los Angeles street art RISK. They have both embellished one of Lincoln’s portraits of The Queen and this too will be unveiled on the opening night.

When asked about his decision to unveil his portrait of the ultimate British Icon in Los Angeles, Lincoln added: “I work closely with Megan Phillips who is curating the show and there has been enormous demand for my work in Los Angeles. It’s also the home of many of the Icons I’ve painted who have since become friends. Above all, Americans love the Queen with a passion every bit as strong as that felt by the British public.”

Lincoln Townley is a world-renowned British artist known for his ability to capture the creative and sometimes turbulent energies that drives the world’s most iconic stars to perform at the peak of their powers.

He has been commissioned to paint many of the world’s biggest icons including Charlie Sheen, Al Pacino, Sir Michael Caine, John Cleese, Sam Mendes, Meryl Streep, Amy Schumer and his original oil paintings of demons drawn from the unconscious mind, have been exhibited at major international galleries including the National Gallery, The Royal Academy of Arts in London and The Saatchi Gallery which is being held in October 2016.

In October 2015, he was commissioned by BAFTA LA to paint the six Honorees at the Britannia Awards.  In June he is holding a retrospective exhibition of his Icons at the Royal Academy of Arts. His work can be seen at the Maddox Gallery in Mayfair London. He is represented by Megan Phillips in Los Angeles. A recovering alcoholic, Townley has donated works to many charities and divides his time between London and Los Angeles.

Check out more of Townley’s work here.