Update: As it is now after noon on 1 April 2025, we can reveal this was the 2026 EALING.NEWS April Fool’s Day story.
A search has been launched for a missing artwork worth millions by pop art icon Andy Warhol, with experts saying it could still be somewhere in Ealing more than 50 years after it was created.
The painting, described in archive records as a brightly coloured pop-art work titled “Queen of the Suburbs”, is believed to have been produced while Warhol lived in the borough between 1973 and 1974.
A Polaroid photograph discovered in the council’s archives shows Warhol adding the finishing touches to the painting. The instant photograph, believed to date from April 1974, shows the artist standing at an easel painting details onto the triptych.
Handwritten text visible on the border of the photograph reads:
“Ealing – April 1974 / Queen of the Suburbs – Andy Warhol.”
Art experts say the image provides one of the clearest pieces of evidence that the artwork existed and may yet be recovered.
According to historical documents held by Ealing Council, the artist is believed to have spent time living at Ealing Village during that period.
Council archive records list the work under the reference ART/EAL-AF01-74, which officials say relates to civic artworks catalogued during the 1970s.
The piece is said to have been inspired by Ealing’s long-standing nickname, “Queen of the Suburbs.” Archive descriptions suggest the artwork took the form of a three-panel pop-art triptych, featuring a stylised crowned figure above the word “EALING”, repeated across different colour variations.
An expert at London-based auction house Harrington & Blythe said the work could be of significant value if rediscovered.
Oliver Blysoof, senior valuer at Harrington & Blythe, said: “A previously undocumented Warhol work with a clear provenance linked to a London borough could be expected to fetch between £2.5m and £3.5m at auction, depending on condition and authentication.”
Records suggest the painting was later presented to the council as a gesture of appreciation for the time Warhol spent in the borough.
However, its current location is unknown.
Council officials say the piece was once listed in an inventory of civic artworks but appears to have disappeared from records following office relocations and building refurbishments during the late 1990s. Several departments moved out of older municipal buildings while archives were transferred into temporary storage, and officials believe the painting may have been miscatalogued during that process.
Despite this, there is growing belief that the artwork may still be somewhere in the borough — possibly in storage, in a municipal building, or even in a private collection linked to its original transfer.
Local artist and cultural historian Pierre Poisson said the discovery had sparked renewed interest in the search.
Mr Poisson said: “The idea that Warhol created a piece inspired by the phrase ‘Queen of the Suburbs’ is fascinating. Warhol was always drawn to iconic cultural slogans and symbols, and Ealing’s identity would have fitted perfectly with his pop art style.”
Council heritage officer Anita Prank said staff were now carrying out a fresh review of historic records and storage locations.
Ms Prank said: “We’re hopeful the piece may still be somewhere in the borough. These things do sometimes resurface, particularly where records from that period are incomplete.”
The council has invited anyone with information about the artwork to come forward by noon today (1 April 2026).
