Andy Warhol
Four Marilyns, 1962
Sold for $38,245,000
Warhol’s ‘4 Marilyns’ sells for $38,25 million at Phillips Warhol’s Pop Art masterpiece, ‘Four Marilyns’, 1962, the marquee lot of Phillips’s Contemporary Art Evening auction on May 16th 2013, sold for an exceptional $38,245,000 confirming the robust market for the artist’s work.]]>
May 17, 2013, source: Phillips
Phillips’ Contemporary Art Evening Sale presented a thoughtful cross-section of the market’s most sought after Contemporary artists achieving a total of $78,618,000, selling 81% by lot and 88% by value. The sale was led by Andy Warhol’s Pop Art masterpiece, “Four Marilyns”, 1962, which sold for $38,245,000. The Warhol momentum continued to its sister lot, “Marilyn Monroe (Marilyn)”, 1967, a set of 10 screenprints on paper which sold for $2,045,000 realizing a new record for a comprehensive Warhol portfolio. “And If”, 1992 which sold for $4,085,000 fetched the highest price for a work by Christopher Wool this week.
“We were pleased with the sale of “Four Marilyns” as it represents Warhol’s most coveted image and Phillips’ expanding presence in the market. As the company evolves, we will remain dedicated to the tradition of presenting the best young artists alongside Contemporary Art masters in our evening sales.” Michael McGinnis, CEO and Worldwide Head of Contemporary Art, Phillips.
Phillips described Four Marilyns as “one of the most visually electric and vibrant works of art produced in the twentieth century. Warhol has successfully synthesized and captured the essence of Marilyn as she appeared in all forms of media, from silver screen and television to the cover of magazines and front pages of newspapers leaving us with a timeless impression of her radiance. The pinnacle of his innovation is the repeating image which offers multiple opportunities to experience her likeness while enshrining her in a spectrum once only reserved for the portrayal of religious saints and deities. Warhol’s pure and saturated hues fill the image with a palpable visual intensity and energy. Marilyn’s angelic face is crowned by golden curls anchored on a cadmium orange background (…) In immortalizing Marilyn, Warhol selected a publicity photo from a decade before, where she appears seductive yet wholesome, stylized and authentic: Marilyn at the acme of her fame and beauty.”
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