Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe screen print is expected to sell for $200 million

The original screen print of Marilyn Monroe, created in 1964 by pop art artist Andy Warhol was made, must go under the hammer more than $200 million (more than €181 million). According to Christie's auction house in New York Shot Sage Blue Marilyn will be 'the most expensive 20th century work of art ever auctioned'. Text: Patrick Stoffer
Image: In the mid-60s, Warhol made five portraits of the American actress, one of which is now being auctioned. For the artwork, Warhol took a promotional photo of the film Niagara, which the actress starred in, gave Monroe a pink face, blue eye shadow and red lips against a sage-colored background.

Christie's states that Shot Sage Blue Marilyn is one of the greatest paintings of all time and even compares it to Davinci's Mona Lisa.

The proceeds from the auction will go entirely to charity: the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation Zurich. The foundation is committed to education and healthcare for children. The recently deceased couple Thomas and Doris Ammann owned Warhol's work for more than 40 years.

The artist's record now stands at more than €95 million. His work Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster) fetched this amount during an auction in 2013. The pop art artist died in 1987 at the age of 58. During his lifetime he portrayed many celebrities such as Elvis Presley, Grace Jones, Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe. The docuseries was released on Netflix in 2022 The Andy Warhol Diaries about the artist's life.

Queen Beatrix

In 1985, Warhol made four portraits of the then Queen Beatrix. These raised €2021 at an art auction in 217.000. The artworks were part of a series in which Warhol portrayed four reigning queens. In addition to Queen Beatrix, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Margrethe of Denmark and Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland could also count on a number of screen prints.

The original screen print Shot Sage Blue Marilyn will be auctioned in May by Christie's auction house in New York.Embed from Getty Images