A painting of blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe has been sold for a whopping $195 million (or R3 billion).
Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, a portrait of the iconic American actress, has set a record for the most expensive artwork by a US artist sold at an auction.
The 1964 portrait auctioned on Monday shows Monroe in a vibrant close-up on a turquoise background.
#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
According to Christie’s auction house in New York, where the sale took place, Warhol’s portrait is the most expensive piece from the 20th century ever auctioned, as per the NY Press News.
The previous record-holder was another modern master, Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose 1982 painting Untitled of a skull-like face sold for a record $110.5 million at Sotheby’s in 2017.
The buyer’s identity remains unknown.
It was estimated last year that the portrait could go for as much as $200 million.
An overjoyed Alex Rotter, chairman of Christie’s 20th and 21st-century art department said this week: “It’s an amazing price. Let it sink in, it’s quite something.”
Guillaume Cerutti, CEO of Christie’s, said: “It proves we are in a very resilient art market.”
The proceeds of the portrait sale will go to the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation Zurich. This is the foundation which put the painting up for auction.
The foundation is reportedly aiming to help children with healthcare and educational programmes.
Warhol artworks include several images of Monroe, however, this painting has been exhibited in museums around the world.