Andy Warhol's portrait of Marilyn Monroe auctioned for €184 million

Last Monday, Shot Sage Blue Marilyn was auctioned by Christie's. The painting sold for €184 million.

M previously wrote about the upcoming auction of that artist's iconic screen print Andy Warhol made of actress Marilyn Monroe. Last Monday the time came and the portrait was auctioned by the auction house Christie's in New York City. The painting changed hands before $195 million, converted €184 million.Text: Patrick StofferShot Sage Blue Marilyn, as the artwork is called, was made in 1964 and was one of five portraits that Andy Warhol (1918-1987) created. This copy has gone under the hammer €184 million raised and the amount will end up in the hands of the charity, the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation Zurich, which is committed to education and health care for children worldwide. The founders, art dealers Thomas (1950-1993) and Doria (1944-2021) Ammann, owned the portrait for more than 40 years and it is now changing hands for a record amount.

Circle is round

The €184 million that the screen print fetched is the highest amount ever paid at auction for a work of art from the last century. Shot Sage Blue Marilyn is expected to fetch €181 million during this auction, so it is quite close to the final amount. The work of art was bought by the 77-year-old Larry Gagosian, one of the most influential art dealers in the world. He was personally present during the auction at Christie's on Rockefeller Plaza to place his bid. This completes the circle: in 1986 Gagosian sold the artwork to Thomas Ammann (1950-1993), after which the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation Zurich is now selling the artwork and Gagosian has the artwork back in his possession.

Also read: 'The five most expensive Dutch paintings ever sold'.Embed from Getty Images