Christie’s has announced the auction in May 2022 of a portrait of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol estimated at $200 million, which would make it the most expensive 20th century work of art ever sold at auction. .
Regarding the painting “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” painted in 1964 by Andy Warol, “the most important painting of the 20th century to be sold at auction in a generation”, according to a press release from Christie’s in New York.
Christie’s officials have claimed that the famous image of Marilyn Monroe belongs to the Zurich foundation of Thomas and Doris Ammann (a brother and a sister), who will use the proceeds of the sale “to improve the lives of children in around the world, through health and education programmes.
For Christie’s, with 100% of the sale of a single painting going to charity, it is the highest auction for a philanthropic purpose since that of the collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller in 2018.
For Georg Frei, president of the Ammann Foundation, “the image of Marilyn by Andy Warhol, certainly more famous today than the original photo from Henry Hathaway’s film Niagara, attests to its intact visual power in this new millennium”.
According to a ranking established by AFP, the absolute record for a sale of a work of art at auction is currently held by Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, sold in November 2017 for 450.3 million dollars by Christie’s in New York. For works from the 20th century, Les Femmes d’Alger (version 0), an oil painting by Pablo Picasso, went for $179.4 million in May 2015, again at Christie’s in New York.
A work produced two years after the death of Marilyn Monroe
American actress Marilyn Monroe was found dead of an overdose of barbiturates, just 36 years old, on August 5, 1962. She was the epitome of seduction and feminine beauty, while she aspired to be as recognized for her acting talent and intelligence.
Two years later, artist Andy Warhol produced the famous portrait of the star which is certainly, according to Goerge Frei, “more famous than the original photo taken from Henry Hathaway’s film Niagara attests to its intact visual power in this new millennium”. .
New record after the sale of Picasso’s “Women of Algiers”
According to a ranking established by AFP, the absolute record for a sale of a work of art at auction is currently held by Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi”, sold in November 2017 for 450.3 million dollars. dollars by Christie’s in New York.
For the 20th century works, Les Femmes d’Alger (version 0), an oil painting by Pablo Picasso went for $179.4 million in May 2015, again at Christie’s.
The “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” offers the actress her last role and could allow her to find a new place in history, if this painting which represents her turns out to be the most expensive of the 20th century ever sold at auction.
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