On Monday night, a 58 year-old silkscreen by Andy Warhol sold at Christie’s for a record $195 million.
The superlatives abound: With the stroke of a gavel, it became the most expensive 20th century artwork to ever sell at auction; the most expensive American artwork to ever sell at auction; and the second most expensive publicly sold artwork in history. (The $450 million Leonardo da Vinci is still in first place.) Dealer Larry Gagosian, who was in the room, was the winning bidder.
The painting, "Shot Sage Blue Marilyn," was created by Warhol in 1964. It, along with the 35 other lots in the sale, was consigned by the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation in Zurich. Thomas, a noted art dealer and collector, died of AIDS-related complications in 1993; his sister Doris took over the gallery and ran it until her death last year. All of the sale’s proceeds will go to the foundation, which is devoted to health care and educational programs.