R. H. Quaytman: ‘Studio’ at Frieze Masters 2025

R. H. Quaytman

In 2001, I began to call my exhibitions ‘chapters’ as a way to organize them and bind them to each other, as if one’s view zoomed out over time. This shift in terms was accompanied by a uniformity in the paintings’ support: plywood panels coated in gesso that adhere to the nesting geometry of the golden section. This method allows a single painting to be understood as part of the overarching whole.

‘The Hieroglyphic, Chapter 0.4’, is my 40th chapter, and my first showing in London since 2008. For this new chapter, I pounced on my lifelong love for, and obsession with, Queen Elizabeth I.Elizabeth both appreciated and influenced the politics of her portraits. In 1560, she drafted a proclamation instructing her ‘portraiture sargent payntors’ that no image of her was to be made unless it conformed to an official template approved by her and distributed throughout her realm.



Looking at hundreds of reproductions of her image in paintings and engravings, on coins and as statues, I became interested in one recurring pattern, showing her face in three-quarter view. While her clothes and the background change dramatically from work to work, the face remains mask-like, with only the direction of her gaze changing. Rarely does one have the feeling of knowing her from these images.   

One allegorical painting struck me deeply. It depicts Elizabeth in the role of Paris, about to select which of three goddesses will win the golden apple. Will she choose Aphrodite, representing love? Or will she choose Hera, goddess of marriage, or Athena, goddess of wisdom? Luckily, Elizabeth always took her time choosing. After all, in this painting she holds not an apple but the globe. 

R. H. Quaytman is presented by Miguel Abreu gallery in Studio at Frieze Masters 2025 (Stand E08).

About Studio

Now in its third year, Studio, curated by Sheena Wagstaff, highlights the commitment of Frieze Masters to living practice in dialogue with historical art. By focusing on artists’ place of making, it reflects the idea of the past informing the present moment of creation in an object for the future. This year, the six featured artists are: Glenn Brown, Dorothy Cross, Anju Dodiya, Samia Halaby, R. H. Quaytman and Anne Rothenstein.

Explore Studio

Further Information

Frieze London and Frieze Masters The Regent’s Park, 15 – 19 October 2025. Tickets are on sale – don’t miss out, buy yours now. Alternatively, become a member to enjoy premier access, exclusive guided tours and more.

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^{Main image: Rebecca Quaytman, The Hieroglyphic, Chapter 0.4, 2025. Silkscreen ink, distemper, and gesso on wood, 20 x 20 inches (50.8 x 50.8 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Miguel Abreu Gallery, New York}