

25
Andy Warhol
Marilyn Monroe (Marilyn)
- Estimate
- $1,400,000 - 1,800,000
$2,045,000
Lot Details
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.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
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.
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.
Provenance
Exhibited
Literature
Andy Warhol
American | B. 1928 D. 1987Andy 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.
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