Warhol’s ‘Marilyn’ auctioned for $195m

NEW YORK: An iconic painting of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol has been auctioned for $195m making it the most expensive piece of 20th Century art ever sold.

The painting, Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, was painted by Warhol in 1964 using a famous photograph as inspiration.

The amount is also the highest ever paid for an American work of art.

The Christie’s auction in New York was widely seen as a symbol of the luxury art market’s health.

Ahead of the auction, Christie’s wrote that the painting is “one of the rarest and most transcendent images in existence”, with a selling price “in the region” of $200m.

The auction ended with a sale price of $170m, which rose to $195m with taxes and fees taken into account. The name of the buyer of Shot Sage Blue Marilyn was not announced.