The Bank of Spain’s recent decision to select iconic American photographer Annie Leibovitz to portray the King and Queen of Spain on the occasion of their 20th wedding anniversary and tenth year on the throne has sparked controversy among Spanish professional photographers.
The Association of Professional Photographers of Spain (AFPE), while acknowledging Leibovitz’s admirable career, regrets that no Spanish photographer has been chosen for such an important assignment, which they interpret as a lack of recognition of Spanish talent.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia’s anniversary photo
The AFPE, which organizes the LUX awards for the best professional photographers in Spain in different categories, argues that there are excellent portrait photographers in Spain who could have been entrusted with the job.
Although the choice did not depend directly on the Royal House but on the Bank of Spain, from the guild has felt a lack of sensitivity when it came to look at international photographers rather than Spanish professionals themselves.
From the Bank of Spain they claim that Leibovitz was chosen for her experience photographing other royal houses such as the British one, as well as for having been awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities in 2013.
However, unofficial versions suggest that it was Queen Letizia herself who suggested her name, having maintained a good relationship with her since that award.
Be that as it may, the truth is that this is not the first time that the royal couple coincides with Leibovitz, who received the award from the hands of the then Prince of Asturias in the aforementioned 2013 edition in Oviedo.
At 74, she is considered the highest paid photographer in the world and the great portraitist of Hollywood celebrities.
In view of this controversy, AFPE calls for more active consideration and support for national talent in future relevant projects.
In short, an episode that once again brings to the table the eternal debate between the international gaze and support for local talent.
The portraits of the King and Queen of Spain by a world figure like Annie Leibovitz, coinciding with the ten years of Felipe VI’s reign and the twenty years of marriage with the Queen, undoubtedly generates a great repercussion and leaves a bitter aftertaste in many Spanish photographers.