Andy Warhol's Shot Sage Blue Marilyn Sells for $195M at Christie's

Andy Warhol's 'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn' (1964) sold for $195 million at Christie's New York on May 9, 2022, becoming the most expensive 20th-century artwork ever auctioned and the second most expensive overall after Leonardo da Vinci's 'Salvator Mundi' ($450M). The sale was part of the Thomas and Doris Ammann Collection auction, a philanthropic event with proceeds benefiting the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation, which supports children's health and education. The buyer is expected to donate 20% of the purchase price to charity. The painting is one of five Marilyn portraits Warhol created in 1964, each with a different background color, based on a 1953 promotional photo for the film 'Niagara'. The series was famously shot by artist Dorothy Podber in 1964, who asked Warhol if she could 'shoot them' and then fired a gun at the canvases, damaging the red and orange versions. The 'sage blue' version remained intact. The auction lasted under four minutes, with bidding starting at $100 million and reaching $170 million in about 45 seconds. The final price includes Christie's buyer's premium. Other notable sales from the Ammann collection include works by Cy Twombly, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Francesco Clemente, with only two lots unsold. The auction's success reflects strong demand for high-quality art as an investment, with predictions of $2 billion in total sales for New York's spring auctions.