Meet the artist behind the 'Queen Meghan' portrait featured by Beyoncé and Jay-Z



BAZAR UK
Beyonce and Jay-Z surprised royal watchers when they paid tribute to the Duchess of Sussex while accepting a Brit Award. The duo shared a video of their brief acceptance speech featuring a framed painting depicting Meghan as the Queen in the background. The staging mirrored their pose from their "Apesh**t" music video, which saw them standing in front of the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. 
Beyonce then later shared footage on her Instagram, celebrating the duchess in honour of Black History Month and congratulating her on her pregnancy. 
The tributes might not have been the same, however, without illustrator Tim O'Brien, who created the hyperrealistic portrait of Meghan that appears in the Carters' video. The Brooklyn-based artist "did not know" that the Carters were going to use his masterpiece, "but if they can now put my piece in the Louvre, I’ll call it even," he told BAZAAR.com via email.
O'Brien, 54, originally created the oil painting of the royal last year for the Summer 2018 cover of Meghan's sorority's magazine. "I was hired by two great creative directors, Erin Mayes and Kate Collins out of Austin, to paint the cover of The Key, the magazine for the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority," he tells BAZAAR. "This was a collaboration and we worked together closely on the image and all the tiny details specific to the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority."
The painting is a stunning juxtaposition of a modern royal—in every sense of the word—alongside traditional symbols of royalty. This Meghan appears in a Victorian-like portrait wearing a tiara, several layered pearl necklaces, and a regal gown wrapped in a fur shawl.
"I think she’s lovely and I wanted her to look regal, like a classic portrait, even trying to achieve an aged feel to the colour of the piece," O'Brien explains. The Duchess of Sussex doesn't have an official royal portrait yet (although Prince Harry does), so perhaps the future artist can take some notes from this one.
But has Meghan seen the portrait herself? "I would imagine she’s seen it and I do not know how she felt about it," the artist says. "Would love to know, but I’m sure she’s a busy person these days."
O'Brien has been illustrating for 30 years and studied in New Haven, Connecticut. He has a penchant for subjects in pop culture—he's even made a royal portrait of Beyoncé, too. "I’ve painted queens, presidents, rock stars, and dreadful people," he says. The artist has also illustrated multiple TIME magazine covers, covers for Rolling Stone and Sports Illustrated, and several US postage stamps.
O'Brien also does commissions, and most of his work is for sale on request. Check out his impressive portfolio on his website and on Instagram (@obrienillustration).