Andy Warhol - Contemporary Art Evening Sale New York Thursday, May 16, 2013 | Phillips

Create your first list.

Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.

  • Provenance

    Bill Bass, Chicago
    Private Collection, New York
    Haunch of Venison, New York

  • Exhibited

    Milan, The Andy Warhol Show, Triennale di Milano, September 22, 2004 - January 8, 2005

  • Literature

    F. Feldman and J. Schellmann, Andy Warhol Prints: A Catalogue Raisonné 1962-1967, 4th ed., New York: Distributed Art Publishers Inc. and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Inc., 2003, cat. no. 11.22-31, pp. 68-69 (illustrated)
    A. Warhol, G. Mercurio, D. Morera, The Andy Warhol Show, Milan: Skira; London: Thames & Hudson, 2005, pp. 88-89 (illustrated)

  • Catalogue Essay

    The legend admired and adored for her vibrancy in both character and beauty is flawlessly rendered here in a complete set of ten pristine silkscreens. This rare portfolio of Marilyn Monroe proffers a glimpse at not only the multifaceted stardom of the subject, but also allows for a complete portrait of a star whose magnanimous personality and unrivaled beauty could never be captured in a single image. The ten images function like stills from her films, revealing the myriad costumes and maquillage worn by the star. By silkscreening her in various palettes, Warhol illuminates the alter-egos of the celebrated icon; in one image she is rendered in fluorescent pinks, with a halo of pale blue hair and mint green lipstick; in another monochromatic frame her hair is ashen, her skin nearly white and her lips inky black, providing a haunting glimpse of the star had her life not been cut tragically shot. Warhol portrays a nostalgic representation of the adored beauty, at once enchanting yet aloof in her remote isolation in the artificial land of bygone Hollywood.

    Borrowing from his own catalogue of imagery, this portfolio of silkscreens was conceived after Warhol first rendered Marilyn in acrylic in 1962. This reinvention of his most iconic work refreshes the images, effectively re-appropriating his painting. The 10 images of Marilyn epitomize the haunting representations of the film star; the icon of Hollywood is illuminated by every possible phosphorescent hue, simultaneously lending the screen goddess an eerie quality as we remember her timeless beauty and unrivaled persona. Repeated ten times before us, the portrait is a monument to the star’s legendary beauty, her glamorous Hollywood existence, and Warhol’s pivotal affinity for the tragic idol.

  • Artist Biography

    Andy Warhol

    American • 1928 - 1987

    Andy Warhol was the leading exponent of the Pop Art movement in the U.S. in the 1960s. Following an early career as a commercial illustrator, Warhol achieved fame with his revolutionary series of silkscreened prints and paintings of familiar objects, such as Campbell's soup tins, and celebrities, such as Marilyn Monroe. Obsessed with popular culture, celebrity and advertising, Warhol created his slick, seemingly mass-produced images of everyday subject matter from his famed Factory studio in New York City. His use of mechanical methods of reproduction, notably the commercial technique of silk screening, wholly revolutionized art-making.

    Working as an artist, but also director and producer, Warhol produced a number of avant-garde films in addition to managing the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground and founding Interview magazine. A central figure in the New York art scene until his untimely death in 1987, Warhol was notably also a mentor to such artists as Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

     

    View More Works

25

Marilyn Monroe (Marilyn)

1967
portfolio of screenprints on paper, in 10 parts
each 36 x 36 in. (91.4 x 91.4 cm.)
Signed and stamp numbered on the reverse. Published by Factory Additions, New York. This work is number 209 from an edition of 250 plus 26 artist proofs.

Estimate
$1,400,000 - 1,800,000 

Sold for $2,045,000

Contact Specialist
Zach Miner
Head of Sale
zminer@phillips.com
+1 212 940 1256

Contemporary Art Evening Sale

New York 16 May 2013 7pm