A portrait of Marilyn Monroe made by Andy Warhol was sold for $195 million at Christie’s, becoming the most expensive 20th-century artwork ever sold at a public auction. The 1964 ‘Shot Sage Blue Marilyn’ is one in a series of portraits that Warhol made of Monroe, following her death in 1962.
Pre-sale projections were as high as $200 million. However, the portrait fetched $195.04 million, including fees, in just four minutes at the auction. This is now the most expensive 20th-century artwork ever sold at a public auction. The previous record was Pablo Picasso‘s painting ‘Les Femmes d’Alger’. It was sold for $179.4 million, including fees, in 2015.
This is also the highest price for any American work of art sold at auction. The all-time record for any work of art from any period sold at auction is held by Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi,” which was sold in November 2017 for $450.3 million.
“Andy Warhol’s Marilyn is the absolute pinnacle of American Pop”
“Andy Warhol’s Marilyn is the absolute pinnacle of American Pop and the promise of the American Dream encapsulating optimism, fragility, celebrity, and iconography all at once,” said Alex Rotter, head of 20th and 21st-century art at Christie’s.
The auction house confirmed in a brief press conference that the winning bid for the “Marilyn” was made from within the room.
Andy Warhol created silkscreens of Marilyn Monroe following the actress’s death in August 1962.
In 1964, Warhol created five portraits of Monroe with different colored backgrounds.
The “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” portrait was based on a promotional photo of Monroe from the 1953 film Niagara.