John Major ('Mona Major')
23 of 509 portraits matching these criteria:
- subject matching 'Flags and banners'
John Major ('Mona Major')
by Peter Kennard
photomontage gelatin silver prints with ink on card, 1992
15 1/8 in. x 10 7/8 in. (383 mm x 275 mm) overall
Transferred from National Portrait Gallery Reference Collection (originally purchased, 2019), 2019
Primary Collection
NPG P2082
Artistback to top
- Peter Kennard (1949-), Photographer. Artist or producer associated with 3 portraits.
This portraitback to top
In 'Mona Major', Kennard draws on the enigmatic (and notably European) image of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa to parody the political turmoil within the Conservative Party over the Maastricht treaty – including the beginnings of the European Union and the heated debate about the creation of a single currency. During John Major’s tenure as Prime Minister, a number of Conservative MPs, 'the Maastricht Rebels', refused to support Major in implementing the treaty terms. These issues re-emerged with the Brexit referendum of 2016 and the invocation of Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Union signalling Britain’s intention to leave the EU.
Events of 1992back to top
Current affairs
The Church of England votes narrowly in favour of the ordination of women priests. The first women priests were ordained in 1994, inspiring the popular sitcom The Vicar of Dibley.John Major is forced to take the pound off the European Exchange Rate Mechanism after Black Wednesday, when currency dealers continued selling sterling despite a dramatic increase in interest rates. The event damaged the Conservative party's reputation irreparably.
Art and science
The long-running sitcom Absolutely Fabulous airs for the first time on the BBC starring Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley as style-obsessed, middle-aged media luvvies Eddy and Patsy. June Whitfield played Eddy's mother, and Julia Sawalha her long-suffering daughter Saffy (or, 'sweetie darling').International
Members of the European Community sign the Maastricht Treaty leading to the creation of the European Union. The treaty led to the creation of the 'Euro' currency and its policy was based on a 'three pillars structure' concerned with: 1. Community. 2 . Foreign and Security Policy. 3. Criminal Matters.At a referendum, Bosnia and Herzegovina vote to become a separate state from Yugoslavia. Civil war soon broke out.
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