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

MASTERS previously wrote about the upcoming auction of the iconic silkscreen print that artist Andy Warhol made of actress Marilyn Monroe. Last Monday was the day and the portrait was auctioned off by auction house Christie' s in New York. The painting changed hands for $195 million, equivalent to €184 million.Text: Patrick StofferShotSage Blue Marilyn, as the artwork is called, was created in 1964 and was one of five portraits created by Andy Warhol (1918-1987). This copy has fetched €184 million under the hammer and the amount will go into the hands of the charity, the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation Zurich, which is dedicated to education and health care for children worldwide. The founders, art dealers Thomas (1950-1993) and Doria (1944-2021) Ammann, had owned the portrait for more than 40 years and for a record sum it is now changing hands.

Circle is round

The €184 million raised by the silkscreen is the highest amount ever paid at auction for an artwork from the last century. Shot Sage Blue Marilyn was expected to fetch €181 million at this auction, thus coming pretty close to the final amount. The artwork was snapped up by 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 at Rockefeller Plaza to make 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 disposing of 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