NEW YORK — Andy Warhol’s “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” offered for a cool $195 million on Monday, making the long-lasting portrait of Marilyn Monroe the costliest paintings by a U.S. artist ever offered at public sale.
The 1964 silkscreen picture reveals Monroe in vibrant close-up – hair yellow, eyeshadow blue and lips purple – on a turquoise background. It’s additionally the costliest piece from the twentieth century ever auctioned, based on Christie’s public sale home in New York, the place the sale happened.
The Warhol sale unseated the earlier file holder and one other fashionable grasp, Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose 1982 portray “Untitled” of a skull-like face offered for a file $110.5 million at Sotheby’s in 2017.
Christie’s stated an unnamed purchaser made the acquisition Monday evening. When the public sale was introduced earlier this 12 months, they estimated it may go for as a lot as $200 million.
“It’s an incredible value,” stated Alex Rotter, chairman of Christie’s twentieth and twenty first century artwork division. “Let it sink in, it’s fairly one thing.”
“That is the place we wished to be, clearly,” stated Guillaume Cerutti, CEO of Christie’s. “It proves we’re in a really resilient artwork market.”
The proceeds of the sale will go to the Thomas and Doris Ammann Basis Zurich, which put the portray up for public sale. The muse goals to assist youngsters with well being care and academic packages.
Warhol created multiple picture of Monroe; this specific portray has been exhibited in museums all over the world.
