ART
Warhol’s Marilyn sets new auction record
May 10, 2022 - Andy Warhol’s iconic portrait of Marilyn Monroe fetched a record $195m, making it the most expensive piece of 20th century art ever sold at auction. It was also the highest price for an American work of art.
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Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, described by Alex Rotter, Chairman of 20th and 21st Century Art at Christie’s, as “the absolute pinnacle of American Pop”, was painted by Warhol in 1964 using a famous photograph as inspiration.
The previous record price for a piece of American artwork was $110.5m for a skull painting created in 1982 by Warhol’s sometimes friend and sometimes competitor, Jean-Michael Basquiat.
The most expensive 20th century painting sold at auction is Les femmes d’Alger (Version O) by Picasso, which fetched $179.4m in 2015 at Christie's New York.