The most expensive work of the XX Century is the painting “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn”, where Marilyn Monroe was immortalized and was sold for 195 million dollars.
New record sale
Christie’s auction house in New York auctioned Andy Warhol’s 1×1 meter painting, which reached a historic figure to become the most expensive work by an American artist.
The 1964 silkscreen image shows Marilyn Monroe in close-up, with yellow hair, blue eye shadow and red lips, against a deep blue background.
It was the most expensive 20th century piece ever auctioned.
“It’s an incredible price. Just think about that figure, it’s outstanding,” said Alex Rotter, chairman of Christie’s 20th and 21st century art department.
#AuctionUpdate Andy Warhol’s ‘Shot Sage Blue Marilyn’ breaks the #WorldAuctionRecord for the most expensive 20th century work sold at auction; price realized $195 million pic.twitter.com/kOrIIaeT7J
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 10, 2022
Anonymous buyer
This sale far surpassed Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1982 painting, a skull-shaped face that sold in 2017 for $110.5 million.
The unidentified buyer snapped up the work Monday night at a figure very close to Christie’s estimate, which at the start of the year estimated it could sell for $200 million.
“Clearly this is where we wanted to go, this shows that we are in a very resilient art market,” said Guillaume Cerutti, CEO of the auction house.
Proceeds will go to the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation in Zurich, which aims to help children with educational and health care programs.
Warhol created more than one image of Monroe; this particular painting has been exhibited in museums around the world.
Melissa Galbraith is the World News reporter for Globe Live Media. She covers all the major events happening around the World. From Europe to Americas, from Asia to Antarctica, Melissa covers it all. Never miss another Major World Event by bookmarking her author page right here.