HOUSTON, TX.- Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits from Holbein to Warhol sheds new light on changing ideas of monarchy and nationhood in Britain. The exhibition features portraits of British royalty spanning 500 years, by artists from Hans Holbein and Sir Joshua Reynolds to Annie Leibovitz and Andy Warhol.
In a sweeping survey, Tudors to Windsors covers the cavalcade of kings, queens, princes, and princesses who have graced the British crown. The MFAH is the only U.S. venue to host this unprecedented exhibition, part of a major partnership with the National Portrait Gallery in London. Some 150 objects—most never before seen outside of England—tell the story of Britain’s monarchy through masterworks of painting, sculpture, and photography.
Visitors have an extraordinary opportunity to come face-to-face with the fascinating figures of British royalty. Tudors to Windsors explores four royal dynasties: the House of Tudor (1485–1603), the House of Stuart (1603–1714), the House of Hanover (1714–1901), and the present-day House of Windsor. Among the many works of art on view are portraits featuring King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, King George I, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, and Prince William.
Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits from Holbein to Warhol | October 7, 2018–January 27, 2019.
Hans Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Henry VIII, 1540, oil on wood, Palazzo Barberini, Rome.
Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, Queen Elizabeth I (“The Ditchley Portrait”), c. 1592, oil on canvas, National Portrait Gallery, London.
Robert Peake the Elder, Henry, Prince of Wales, c. 1610, oil on canvas, National Portrait Gallery, London.
Robert Peake the Elder, Princess Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia and Electress Palatine, c. 1610, oil on canvas, National Portrait Gallery, London.
After Allan Ramsay, King George III, 1761–62, oil on canvas, National Portrait Gallery, London.
After Alan Ramsay, Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, 1761–62, oil on canvas, National Portrait Gallery, London. © National Portrait Gallery, London.
Sir Thomas Lawrence, King George IV, 1814, oil on canvas, National Portrait Gallery, London. © National Portrait Gallery, London.
Robert Elliot, Winston Churchill, 1943, bromide print, National Portrait Gallery, London. © Estate of Robert Elliot / National Portrait Gallery, London.
Cecil Beaton, Queen Elizabeth II, 1953, semi-matte cibachrome print, National Portrait Gallery, London. © Cecil Beaton / Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
