Warhol portrait of Marilyn Monroe fetches record-setting $195 million at auction

“Shot Sage Blue Marilyn,” produced in 1964 two years after the death of the glamourous Hollywood star, sold for exactly $195.04 million, including fees, in just four minutes in a crowded room at Christie’s headquarters in Manhattan New York: An iconic portrait of Marilyn Monroe by American pop art visionary Andy Warhol went under the hammer for $195 million Monday at Christie’s, becoming the most expensive 20th century artwork ever sold at public auction. “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn,” produced in 1964 two years after the death of the glamourous Hollywood star, sold for exactly $195.04 million, including fees, in just four minutes in a crowded room at Christie’s headquarters in Manhattan. In a statement, Christie’s described the 40-inch by 40-inch portrait as “one of the rarest and most transcendent images in existence.” Alex Rotter, head of 20th and 21st century art at Christie’s, called the portrait “the most significant 20th century painting to come to auction in a generation.” “Andy Warhol’s Marilyn is the absolute pinnacle of American Pop and the promise of the American Dream encapsulating optimism, fragility, celebrity and iconography all at once,” he said in a statement. Charity At an unveiling at Christie’s headquarters, Rotter said the portrait stood alongside Sandro Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus”, Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and Picasso’s “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” as “categorically one of the greatest paintings of all time.” Only 14 paintings have sold for more than $100 million at auction, according to an AFP tally, although others are expected to have changed hands for as much during private sales.