Andy Warhol's 'Marilyn' Sold for 250 Billion Won... Records Highest Price of the 20th Century

Sold at New York Christie's Auction
Second Highest Price Following Leonardo da Vinci's Work

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] A 1964 portrait of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol, a representative artist of 20th-century American pop art, was sold for $195 million (approximately 250 billion KRW).

Bloomberg reported on the 9th (local time) that "Shot Sage Blue Marilyn" was auctioned for $195.04 million including fees at Christie's auction held in New York, USA. This is the highest price for a 20th-century artwork sold at auction.

The previous record was Pablo Picasso's "Les Femmes d'Alger," sold for $179.4 million in 2015. In the context of art history overall, it is the second-highest price after Leonardo da Vinci's work, which sold for $450 million.

Warhol's work was won by Larry Gagosian, a powerful dealer in the global art world who was present at the scene. Gagosian left the venue quickly to applause and did not publicly comment on the background of the winning bid or whether it was requested by a client. Gagosian's client list includes billionaire magnates such as Steve Cohen, David Geffen, and Ronald Lauder.

"Shot Sage Blue Marilyn" is a portrait created by silkscreening a photograph of Monroe and is one of the works in the "Shot Marilyn" series produced by Warhol in 1964, two years after Monroe's death.

The artwork had been kept at the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation in Zurich. After Thomas, a famous art patron and collector, passed away in 1993, his sister Doris took over the gallery and operated it until her death last year. The proceeds from the sale will be donated to the foundation, which runs healthcare and education programs.