It is remarkable how much history and variety surrounds Warhols’ many portraits of Monroe. The Bonhams print is stamped 28/250 on the back. He started with Marilyn and, in addition to twenty-six artist's proofs lettered A-Z, ultimately released a 250 edition print run. In 1967, the artist began to create and release screenprint portfolios of his most signature pieces. In a press release, Bonhams stated that “this version of Marilyn with bright blond hair, ice green eyeshadow, and red lips is considered one the artist’s most coveted examples.”Īccounts of Warhol’s feelings on this act of violence and the fallout vary but the sensational mythos ultimately ensured the Shot Marilyns a legendary status and boosted value.Īdditionally, though Warhol primarily used classic screenprinting techniques to easily and cheaply reproduce imagery, the artist created a new and complicated method of working that he used to produce the 1964 portraits.Īfter that, most of Warhol’s other Marilyns were produced via his print-publishing business, Factory Additions. The event will mark this particular print’s first return to the public fray since it was purchased-along with a Campbell’s Soup-for about $600 in the 1980s.
In contrast, Bonhams portrait, Marilyn (1967), is estimated to fetch just between $200,000 and $250,000 as the leading artwork of their May 12 Prints & Multiples Sale. As was anticipated by the auction house and onlookers, Shot Sage Blue Marilyn thus claimed the title of “most expensive twentieth-century work to sell at auction.”Īll proceeds from the sale are scheduled to be donated to the collector’s foundation–an organization dedicated to “establishing support systems centered on providing healthcare and educational programs for children across the globe." Though the piece ultimately sold for less than the official $200 million presale estimate, it still managed to achieve a massive $195 million.
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