Bids for this sage blue silkscreen are expected to go at least that high and set an auction house record. Now, about four years ago, one of Warhol's Marilyns sold privately for more than $200 million. ROTTER: So when you - once you see the image, you will recognize that you're actually much more familiar with Warhol's vision of Marilyn than with the old movie shots from Marilyn herself. I'm meeting somebody, just anybody handy as long as he's a man. MARTINEZ: Out of dozens of Marilyn images that Warhol created after her death in the 1960s, this is one of five based on a publicity still from the movie Niagara. ROTTER: You see her blonde hair, which Warhol turns yellow, and you see her very famous lips. That's Alex Rotter, chairman of 20th and 21st Century Art at Christie's auction house. I think there's Marilyn and there's Mona Lisa that everyone would hit. Would a New York cab driver recognize this painting? And I think there are only two. It is a neon-colored portrait of Marilyn Monroe by the pop artist Andy Warhol.ĪLEX ROTTER: I use this test when we speak about paintings. One of the world's most famous artworks is going up for auction.
