King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia star in two new large portraits that not only stand out for their majesty, but also for the unmistakable artistic stamp of photographer Annie Leibovitz.
These images, presented this Tuesday at the Royal Palace in Madrid, pay tribute to both the tenth anniversary of the reign of Felipe VI and the 20 years of marriage of the monarchs.
New Portraits of Felipe and Letizia by Annie Leibovitz
Leibovitz, renowned for her iconic portraits for magazines such as Vanity Fair and Vogue, produced this masterpiece with six months of preparation, hundreds of shots, and an intense five-hour shoot.
Inspired by Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas (1656), he managed to capture the essence of the Spanish monarchy with a contemporary and deeply artistic approach.
Felipe VI: solemnity in a glance
In the first portrait, the king appears standing, with a pose that conveys naturalness and authority. He wears a navy blue uniform of the Army, adorned with the decorations that symbolize his role as head of state.
The sobriety of his image highlights the leadership that comes with his position.
Letizia: the elegance of Balenciaga
For her part, Queen Letizia radiates sophistication in a silk tulle dress with a strapless neckline, a jewel of the forties designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga.
She complements the ensemble with a red silk gala cape from the 1960s, also by the Spanish firm.
The details of her look reflect a tribute to classic fashion, further elevating the symbolism of the images.
The queen’s accessories also tell a story. The mother of Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia, she wears a chaton necklace, a historic piece that Alfonso XIII gave to his wife Victoria Eugenia.
Her diamond earrings and a contemporary Coreterno ring, with the inscription Amor che tutto move (love moves everything), complete her style.
Art that lasts
These photographs, which have no official status, are printed on canvas and will be part of the Banco de España collection.
With a cost of more than 140 thousand dollars, Yolanda Romero, curator of the exhibition, describes them as “very pictorial, enveloping and unique works”.
The choice of Annie Leibovitz is no coincidence. The photographer, born in Connecticut in 1949, is known for portraying iconic figures such as Queen Elizabeth II.
The King and Queen of Spain had their first encounter with Leibovitz in 2013, when the photographer received the Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities.
Now, a decade later, their collaboration marks a new chapter in the visual representation of the Spanish monarchy.