Famous Andy Warhol Painting Of Marilyn Monroe Sells For Astonishing $195 Million

Andy Warhol is known as one of the great pop artists in the history of the world. The Pittsburgh native became famous for taking simple, every day objects and creating masterworks of art. Even decades after Andy passed away, his creations are still among the most sought-after on the planet.

A recent sale of one of Andy Warhol’s most famous pieces smashed the previous record for most expensive piece of American art ever. Andy’s 1964 silk-screen featuring the likeness of Marilyn Monroe sold at a Christie’s auction for $195 million. That makes it the most valuable US-produced artwork of all time, according to TMZ.

Warhol originally created five of the 40×40 inch silk screens. Popular legend has it that a performance artist showed up at the infamous Factory, Andy Warhol’s studio, and asked if she could shoot the Monroe paintings. Andy thought she meant photography, but instead, four of the five were destroyed when she blasted them with a gun.

The surviving painting was the one that was sold by Christie’s. The previous record for most expensive piece of American art belonged to Jean-Michel Basquiat. His famous skull painting went for $110 million in 2017. Ironically, Basquiat and Warhol were close friends.

Art dealer Larry Gagosian was the lucky winner. It was noted that 20% of the procedes from the sale will go to a charity of his choice. It was an incredibly expensive purchase, but Gagosian now owns a timeless piece of American art that is recognizable anywhere.

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