The iconic image of Marilyn Monroe titled Shot Sage Blue Marilyn by Andy Warhol will lead Christie’s Marquee Week of sales in May. Shot Sage Blue Marilyn by Andy Warhol is estimated in the region of $200,000,000 USD.

The masterpiece is poised to be the most expensive 20th century artwork to ever sell at auction, according to Christie’s press release.

Collectors Dashboard evaluates high-end collectibles as an alternative asset class. This means priceless high-end art from iconic artists are attracting the same capital that could have been invested into stocks or bonds. Many famous paintings or works of art now cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to tens of millions of dollars. Some of these are being purchased by collectors with very deep pockets. Others are being purchased solely for investment.

Image below by Christie’s.

According to Christie’s:

“The work comes to Christie’s from the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation Zurich; all proceeds of the sale will benefit the foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of children the world over by establishing support systems centered on providing healthcare and educational programs. With one hundred percent of proceeds going to charity, the sale of this single painting will constitute the highest grossing philanthropic auction since The Collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller in 2018.”

Christies includes the provenance and exhibition history in the press release:

“The portrait’s provenance is comprised of the finest gallerists from the 20th century, including Leon Kraushar, New York, Leo Castelli Gallery, New York, Fred Mueller, New York, Blum Helman Gallery, New York, and S.I. Newhouse, New York, Thomas Ammann, Zurich, ahead of being acquired by the present owner.

The work has been exhibited widely at leading institutions globally including the Guggenheim Museum in New York, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, Tate Modern in London, Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, Royal Academy of Arts in London, Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, the Netherland’s, Stedelijk van Abbemuseum, Fondation Beyeler, Riehen and the Pasadena Art Museum.”

One of the rarest and most transcendent images in existence, Collectors Dashboard thinks this is a good moment ahead of the May auction to look at recent Andy Warhol sales. Recent sales activities of Andy Warhol at Sotheby’s may not show a true comparison here considering the price differential from screenprints versus a work of this caliber. Here are some other recent sales:

• Andy Warhol, Campbell’s Soup Can (Tomato Soup), the signed and dated 85 [1985] ink on paper was estimated at 50,000 – 70,000 EUR. The lot sold for 138,600 EUR on March 17, 2022. The figure is $152,307.77 USD.
• Andy Warhol, Alexander the Great, the signed screened print numbered 2/5 was estimated at 60,000 – 90,000 EUR. The lot sold for 189,000 EUR on March 17, 2022. The figure is $207,692.41 USD.
• Andy Warhol, Muhammad Ali (F. & S. II.181), signed screenprint 1978 1 of 150 was estimated at 10,000 – 15,000 GBP. The lot sold for 20,160 GBP on March 16, 2022. The figure is $26,574.87 USD.
• Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe (Marilyn) (F. & S. II.23), signed screenprint 1967 numbered 71 of 250 was estimated at 40,000 – 60,000 GBP. The lot sold for 113,400 GBP on March 16, 2022. The figure is $149,483.66 USD.