Christie's to Auction a Portrait of Marilyn Monroe by Warhol Estimated at $200 Million

Europe 1 with AFP 5:24 p.m., March 21, 2022

Christie's announced on Monday the sale in May of a portrait of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol estimated at $200 million, which would make it the most expensive work of 20th century art ever sold at auction.

It is Andy Warhol's "Shot Sage Blue Marilyn" painting in 1964, "the most important 20th century painting to be auctioned in a generation", according to a statement from Christie's in New York.

The highest bids for a philanthropic purpose

At a press conference, Christie's officials clarified that the famous image of Marilyn Monroe belonged to the Zurich foundation of Thomas and Doris Ammann (a brother and a sister), who will devote the proceeds of the sale "to the improving the lives of children around the world through health and education programs".

"With 100% of the sale of a single painting going to charity, this is the highest auction for a philanthropic purpose since the collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller in 2018," according to Christie's .

Pablo Picasso oil auctioned for $179.4 million

For Georg Frei, president of the Ammann Foundation, "the image of Marilyn by Andy Warhol, certainly more famous today than the original photo from Henry Hathaway's film Niagara, attests to its intact visual power in this new millennium".

According to a ranking established by AFP, the absolute record for a sale of a work of art at auction is currently held by Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi", sold in November 2017 for 450.3 million. dollars by Christie's in New York.

For works from the 20th century, "Les Femmes d'Alger (version 0)", an oil painting by Pablo Picasso, was sold for 179.4 million dollars in May 2015, still at Christie's, in the cultural and economic capital of the United States. -United.