Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe portrait expected to fetch US$200 million at auction
- Christie’s said it expects the 1964 Shot Sage Blue Marilyn to become the most expensive 20th century artwork when it goes under the hammer in New York in May
- Pop artist Warhol produced five portraits of Monroe, all equal in size with different coloured backgrounds, in 1964
Andy Warhol’s iconic sage-blue background portrait of Marilyn Monroe is tipped to sell for a record-breaking US$200 million at auction in the spring, Christie’s announced on Monday.
The auction house said it expects Warhol’s 1964 Shot Sage Blue Marilyn to become the most expensive 20th century artwork when it goes under the hammer in New York in May.
The silk-screen work is part of a group of Warhol portraits of Monroe that became known as the “Shot” series after a visitor to his Manhattan studio, known as “The Factory,” apparently fired a gun at them.
In a statement, Christie’s described the 40 inch (100cm) by 40 inch portrait as “one of the rarest and most transcendent images in existence.”
Alex Rotter, head of 20th and 21st century art at Christie’s, called the portrait “the most significant 20th-century painting to come to auction in a generation.”