Majesty
28 th September – 12 th October, 2022
Quantus Gallery
Fashion Street
London
Majesty a new and historic royal exhibition in London will bring together three renowned royal artists with unique perspectives of the Queen for the very first time. The exhibition, which opens in Tribute to Her Majesty on 28 th September at Quantus Gallery, features the work of Rob Munday, Frances Segelman and Christian Furr, all of whom have portrayed the Queen during her life variously through photography, holography, painting and sculpture.
Copyright Rob Munday
Each artist has explored the myriad facets and perceptions of the monarch in their own way, seeing her anew in forms at once cutting-edge or classical. In this way, their work brings together the facets of a public life of service, pageantry and totemic impact and a private life of ‘everywoman humanity’ — and ultimately mystery.
Rob Munday is best-known for creating the first officially commissioned 3D/holographic portrait of Her Majesty the Queen in 2004. The portrait, Equanimity*, has since become one of the most iconic portraits taken of Her Majesty and now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. In addition, Munday unveiled Felicity – Platinum Queen for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The composition sees the Queen reacting to an unscripted and amusing comment made by her closest aid and best friend Angela Kelly, as Angela rearranged her clothing prior to the holographic shoot. Munday captured this unexpected moment of Felicity while making test shots for the hologram at the time. It remained unnoticed in Munday’s archives for almost 19 years, before he rediscovered it last year.
Munday picked out one comment from thousands on social media which he feels sums up the portrait perfectly. ‘Her facial expression shows a depth in her personality that reaches back to the days of her youth when the enormous weight of wearing the crown of England was not yet realised’, P.A. McCandless. Munday will also show the world’s first gold holographic portrait miniature, which he was invited to show at the Royal Miniature Society’s prestigious annual exhibition in 2013.
In creating and showing this miniature of Her Majesty the Queen, Rob Munday has been credited for bringing into being a brand-new portrait medium. In this important exhibition in tribute to Her Majesty, Munday dedicates a new portrait In the Blink of An Eye, to his special personal memories and artistic relationship with the Queen.
*The portrait Equanimity was co-created by the artist/holographer Rob Munday and the artist Chris Levine, under a joint creative collaboration. The portrait was commissioned by The Jersey Heritage Trust to commemorate the Island of Jersey’s 800-year allegiance to the English throne.
The Queen’s symbolism, impact and personal warmth were further captured in a spectacular bust by royal sculptor Frances Segelman, whose subjects have also included HM The King, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, HRH The Princess Royal, HRH The Duke of Kent and HRH The Countess of Wessex.
A fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an associate of the Royal Society of British Sculptors Segelman sculpted several versions of the Queen. The version at Buckingham Palace is without a crown, as the Queen indicated she wanted it to be in keeping with the informal dress worn by Prince Philip in the sculpture Frances had already made of him. The two sculptures are displayed together at the Palace. Frances’ other sculpture versions of the Queen have a crown on, including the one displayed in the ‘Majesty’ exhibition. ‘The Queen was my favourite sitter. So elegant’ says Segelman. ‘She has always been my role model. It was surreal and unbelievable, not to mention nerve-wracking, to go into the room at the palace and take measurements of her head for the bust.’
Her three sittings with the Queen in 2007 laid the foundations for the eventual sculpture, which was completed in 2009, and Segelman chose her tiara with Angela Kelly, the Queen’s personal dresser. The elegant bust of Her Majesty earned Frances Segelman Royal sculptor status.
At 28 years old, British Artist Christian Furr was the youngest artist every to be
commissioned to paint an official portrait of the Queen. Personally selected for the honour, Furr approached the project with the aim of showing both the regal and human qualities of Her Majesty. The portrait currently hangs in the Royal Overseas League. ‘My portrait portrays the Queen’s sense of humour and unrufflable nature,’ says Furr. ‘Her Majesty liked the portrait because a few years later, in 2010, The Duke of Edinburgh met me personally to accept a special print of the painting.’ Furr dedicates a brand-new diamond dust on canvas edition portrait of the Queen based on his unreleased photograph of the Queen smiling.
©2022 Frances Segelmen, Christian Furr, Rob Munday
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