(Reuters) – Pop artist Andy Warhol’s famed 1964 silk-screen of Marilyn Monroe could sell for up to $200 million at auction on Monday, according to pre-sale estimates, a price that would represent a new record for a work by an American.
“Shot Stage Blue Marilyn” is one in a series of portraits Warhol made of the actress following her death in 1962 and has since become one of pop art’s best-known pieces. Held in the collection of Swiss art dealers Thomas and Doris Ammann, it is being offered for sale in New York by Christie’s auction house.
“‘Shot Sage Blue Marilyn’ is the absolute pinnacle of American Pop,” Alex Rotter, chairman of 20th and 21st Century art at Christie’s, said in a statement announcing the auction. “The painting transcends the genre of portraiture, superseding 20th century art and culture.”
The painting is built on a promotional photo of Monroe from the 1953 film “Niagara,” screened with bright colors over her eyes, hair and lips.
Its title refers to an incident in which a woman shot at a stack of four Marilyn portraits in Warhol’s studio with a pistol, although “Shot Stage Blue Marilyn” was not struck by a bullet.
Monroe was one of Hollywood’s best-known stars before her death of an overdose at her home in Los Angeles on Aug. 4, 1962.
Warhol died in 1987.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
