Andy Warhol’s Shot Sae Blue Marily: The Most Expensive 20th Century Artwork

The legendary Shot Sage Blue Marilyn by Andy Warhol was offered yesterday, May 9, for $195 million, setting up it as the most expensive 20^th century artwork to promote at auction, and the 2nd maximum cost for an artwork offered in auction.

The sale was 98% offered by price, demonstrating strong demand from customers from collectors and confidence in the marketplace. The sale attracted participation from bidders in 29 nations around the world, with 68% of tons selling higher than the large estimate. Extra highlights from the sale incorporate file rates for six artists. Francesco Clemente’s The Fourteen Stations, No. XI, offered for three moments the past record at $1,860,000, with bids coming from at the very least 9 bidders. Ann Craven’s I Was not Sorry, 2003 accomplished 8 situations the former document, fetching $478,800, with opposition from 15 bidders. The other information ended up: Mike Bidlo (3 moments the earlier report), Mary Heilmann, Martin Disler, and Ross Bleckner. Immediately after Warhol’s Marilyn, the top rated a lot had been Cy Twombly’s Untitled, which reached $21 million Robert Ryman’s Untitled, which marketed for $20.1 million and Cy Twombly’s Venere Sopra Gaeta, at $16.9 million.

Alex Rotter, Christie’s Chairman of 20^th and 21^st Century Artwork, commented: “Tonight was a historic evening for Christie’s and for the complete modern artwork marketplace. The document-breaking sale of Warhol’s iconic portrait of Marilyn from the Assortment of Thomas and Doris Ammann is a testomony to the energy, the vibrancy, and the over-all pleasure of the art current market right now. This sale demonstrates the pervasive electricity of Andy Warhol as very well as the lasting legacy that he continues depart guiding in the artwork entire world, preferred culture, and culture.”

About Shot Sage Blue Marily

When Sam Hunter involved Sscorching Sage Blue Marilyn on the deal with of his seminal textbook, Modern day Art: Portray, Sculpture, Architecture, Warhol’s portrait of Marilyn Monroe became one particular of contemporary art’s most common icons. As an emblem of the American Pop Art movement, Marilyn represented the optimism and individuality and of the write-up-war Renaissance, fame, and superstar. And but, 60 several years immediately after Monroe’s untimely death, Warhol’s picture has turn out to be so much far more than the image of a solitary inventive movement. Marilyn is a Masterpiece, not bound to time or location.

The information of Monroe’s demise on 5 August 1962 struck a private chord for Warhol, who started immortalising her in his do the job shortly thereafter, utilising a cropped publicity even now from the movie Niagara. As Warhol continued to excellent his topic issue, Monroe the star became Marilyn, the Masterpiece.

‘Warhol’s photo of Marilyn — certainly now far more well known than the photograph on which it is dependent — bears witness to her undiminished visible ability in the new millennium,’ explains Georg Frei, Thomas Ammann High-quality Artwork AG companion and editor of the Warhol catalogue raisonné. In truth, as Monroe, the actress, fades from public consciousness, Warhol’s impression of her continues to be right away recognizable within the canon of artwork.