The painting “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn,” in which Marilyn Monroe is immortalized and sold for 195 million dollars, is the most expensive work of the twentieth century.
New sales record
Andy Warhol’s 1×1 meter painting, which achieved a historic value to become the most expensive piece by an American artist, was auctioned at Christie’s in New York.
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.
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.