Blue Marilyn busts record

New York – An iconic portrait of Marilyn Monroe by American pop art visionary Andy Warhol was sold for $195 million (about R3.1 billion) on Monday at Christie’s, becoming the most expensive 20th century artwork yet sold at public auction.

Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, produced in 1964 – two years after the death of the glamourous Hollywood star – sold for exactly $195.04 million, including fees, in just four minutes in a crowded room at Christie’s headquarters in Manhattan.

Dozens of Christie’s associates were in the room clutching their phones as they took orders from potential buyers. The auction house owned by French magnate Francois Pinault said the winning bid was made from within the room.

Prior to the sale, the portrait was estimated to go for about $200 million, according to Christie’s.

But it nevertheless beat the previous record for a 20th century work, Pablo Picasso’s Women of Algiers, which brought $179.4 million in 2015.

The record for any work of art from any period sold at auction is held by Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, which sold in 2017 for $450.3 million. –