The iconic portrait of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol, up for auction: it is valued at around 182 million euros

One of the iconic portraits that Andy Warhol made of Marilyn Monroe It will go up for auction next May. This was announced on Monday by Christie’s, which rates around 200 million dollars -about 182 million euros- the value of ‘Shot Sage Blue Marilyn’, which, according to the auction house, could become “the work of most expensive 20th century art ever sold at auction.

In a releaseChristie’s emphasizes that this is “one of the rarest and most important images that exist” and places it among “the most iconic paintings in history”. The auction house’s experts even equate this piece -one of those made by Warhol of the legendary American actress- with Da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’, Picasso’s ‘Las Demoiselles d’Avignon’ or ‘The Birth of Venus’ by Botticelli.

“Andy Warhol’s Marilyn is the absolute pinnacle of American pop-art and the promise of the American dream that encapsulates optimism, fragility, celebrity and iconography all in one,” said Alex Rotter, Director of the Department of 20th and 21st Century Art at Christie’s.

Specifically, the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation in Zurich is putting this painting up for auction, one of the most representative of Warhol’s pop art, and 100% of the funds obtained with your sale of the painting will go to the organization, which aims to improve the lives of children around the world, focusing on health and education.

The portrait, made in blue, pink and yellow colors and made by the american arista in 1964will be offered without guarantee at the May auction, so no minimum price has been imposed for the sale to take place.

Warhol began creating screen prints of Marilyn Monroe after the actress’s death in 1962 and composed several colorful reproductions of her face, though it was not until 1964 that he developed a more elaborate and laborious technique. With it he created this specimen, which has been exhibited in some of the most important museums in the world, including the Guggenheim of New York, the Pompidou Center of Paris, the Tate Modern in London or the Reina Sofía in Madrid.