A portrait of actress Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) by US artist Andy Warhol (1928-1987) was auctioned in New York for around 185 million euros. The typical Warhol picture is thus the most expensive work of art from the 20th century ever auctioned.
The 1964 “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn,” which is based on a photograph and shows the actress against a turquoise-blue background with yellow hair, red lips and turquoise eye shadow, was auctioned at Christie’s auction house on Monday, kicking off the traditional spring auction. It is unclear who bought the picture, which was previously estimated at “around 200 million dollars”. It comes from the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation in Zurich, which intends to use all proceeds from the auction for charitable purposes.
Only the painting “Salvator Mundi” by Leonardo da Vinci, which dates from around the early 16th century and was auctioned in 2017 for around 426 million euros, has brought in more at an auction so far, making it the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction. In second place was Pablo Picasso’s “The Women of Algiers”, which was auctioned in 2015 for around 170 million euros.
The “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” is “one of the greatest paintings of all time” and “the most important picture of the 20th century to be auctioned in this generation,” said Alex Rotter, an expert at Christie’s, before the auction. “Andy Warhol’s Marilyn is the absolute pinnacle of American pop and the promise of the American Dream, encompassing optimism, fragility, fame and iconography all at once.”
Source: Nachrichten
