It’s not just Beyoncé and Jay Z who are making fine art cool again. The royal newlyweds, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, are also noted connoisseurs of art, and now you can bite their exquisite taste with a print from British artist Van Donna. Prince Harry reportedly purchased a set of two original paintings for Meghan from her in 2016, just prior to announcing their relationship to the world. And luckily for us commoners, prints of the paintings are squarely in the sort-of affordable range — but you’ll need to act fast, because they are selling out, just like everything Meghan wears in public.
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The diptych, entitled Everyone Needs Somebody To Love (Celebration Edition) is comprised of two square-shaped images; the left image features the phrase “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” in a flourishing red script, and the right is a black stencil image of a young boy and girl walking hand in hand. It’s equal parts Mr. Brainwash (Banksy’s rumoured prank-protege and star of Exit Through The Gift Shop), and Pinterest vision board — though that’s not a criticism. In contrast to these two artists, there is a softness to her work. Van Donna describes herself as a pop artist, but where Andy Warhol created pop art to commodify the ordinary, Van Donna uses its techniques to explore themes like romance and luxury. Her name is a portmanteau of Van Gogh and Madonna; her true identity is unknown.
Mystique aside, her art is easily accessible from London’s Walton Fine Arts, a gallery that specialises in Street and Pop Art. Walton has shown works by Banksy, Roy Lichtenstein, and Warhol. Interested art collectors can purchase prints of Everybody Needs Somebody To Love here. They cost £599 for 12.6 x 12.6 inches and £799 for 19.5 x 19.5 inches. Note that there are two versions of the piece: the original version uses a marquee-style font, while Prince Harry purchased the Celebration Edition. Single versions of the diptych are available as well, and those start at just £199.