View from Buckingham Palace

This painting of London from the roof of Buckingham Palace was commissioned by the Museum of London to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee of 2002. This choice of viewpoint, a perspective that few rarely see, encompasses a wide panorama of London at the beginning of the 21st century. Clive Head's painting gives an impression of the expanse of city skyline, viewed from behind the Palace's facade.

In 1720, Johannes Kip painted a similar viewpoint from the roof of what was then Buckingham House. The painting was the first really comprehensive panorama of London since the Great Fire of 1666. Compared to Kip's view, Head's panorama owes more to the British tradition of landscape painting.