A portrait of actress Marilyn Monroe from 1964 painted by American pop art artist Andy Warhol sold for $ 195 million tonight (Tuesday), a record amount for a work of American art.
The buyer, who chose to remain anonymous, asked that the proceeds from the purchase be donated to charity - for health and education programs for children around the world.
Despite the high amount, at Christie's, the British auction house where the auction took place, there were those who hoped that the final amount at which the sale would end would be between $ 250 and $ 300 million.
However, the auction of this type of artwork is still optimistic: it is an amount that may encourage affluent potential buyers to make similar purchases in the near future, as Christie's and its competitor Sotheby's plan to sell works of total value this month. More than two billion dollars.
Pop art artist Andy Warhol, in 1976, Photo: AP
“The sale proves that quality and hunger will always push the market forward,” said Andrew Fabrikant, chief operating officer of Gagosian Gallery, who also works as a trader for potential buyers.
"The purchase will give anyone thinking of purchasing such a work a thought that it is possible."
"Marilyn" is one of five versions that Warhol created for a portrait of the actress, who died in 1962.
The piece, whose orange equivalent was recently sold to billionaire Ken Griffin for more than $ 200 billion, is one of the most iconic and recognizable in the pop art world.
Nor is it the highest amount ever set at an art auction - this title is associated with Leonardo da Vinci's Salvador Mundi painting, which sold in 2017 at Christie's for $ 450 million.
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