Mark Your Calendar Christie Auction of Warhol's Shot Sage Blue Marilyn May 20, 2021

WHY I LOVE MARILYN MONROE
Christie to Auction off Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn on May 20, 2021

Shot Sage Blue Marilyn by Andy Warhol

Warhol’s phrase “fifteen minutes of fame” takes on a new meaning when applied to the forever-fame of Marilyn Monroe.  Her legacy stays with us with many questions unanswered. 

As a society, we have an almost obsession with screen siren Marilyn Monroe- she symbolizes so much about women in America.  We love her.  I love her too, and as a young teenager, I read all the books about her life and still have a beautiful hand carved glass portrait of her made by my artist father, Richard Matthews hanging in my bedroom. From an orphan to the brightest star in Hollywood, she represents so much about America and the "American Dream".  She’s an icon.  Her piercing eyes and enigmatic smile reach out and grab us all, and we intuitively know there is much more behind her sex symbol persona.   We pine over her simple beginnings, her crazy love life, and her tragic death.  There is no more evidence of her worth in our eyes as the most recent Christie’s auction scheduled on May 20th, 2022.  This iconic portrait- Shot Sage Blue Marilyn- is by renowned pop artist Andy Warhol created in 1964.  It’s an iconic portrait of Marilyn Monroe, and it’s anticipated to sell for $200 million dollars at auction. Christie claims this may be the most expensive 20th century artwork they’ll sell at auction. Shot Sage Blue Marilyn comes from the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation Zurich and all (not some, but all) proceeds will benefit the foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of children all over the world.  Standing alongside great works like Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, Warhol’s Marilyn is seen as one of the greatest American Pop paintings of all time. It is not lost on me that much of this painting's value is our fascination with American Pop Artist Andy Warhol. He was part pr genius, other part tortured artist and I recently watched the Andy Warhol Diaries Netflix series and it's plain to see, he had a super power for tapping into the American psyche- he realized Marilyn's value in our eyes.

About Shot Sage Blue Marilyn: In August, 1962 following her death, Warhol created silkscreens of Marilyn Monroe. He then made reproductions of her visage multiple times in bold colors, sometimes with the features a bit off or exaggerated. Then, in 1964, he developed a more refined yet laborious screen printing technique, a departure from the mass produced art he became famous for.  He created a limited number of portraits of the Hollywood legend at this time but this technique was so difficult, he never returned to it again. 

photo via Vanity Fair by Michael Latz (Getty Images)

A little bit about Norma Jean (AKA Marilyn Monroe) Norma Jeane Mortenson was born in Los Angeles, California on June 1, 1926. She spent her childhood moving from orphanage to orphanage until at age eleven, a family friend took her in. As a mere teenager, she married childhood sweetheart, Jimmy Dougherty but two years into the marriage Doughtery left to fight in World War II. Upon his return in 1946, she  was on the rise as a model.  The couple divorced, and at that time she changed her name to Marilyn Monroe. Modeling turned into movie roles, hence a movie star was born and by 1953, she was named Hollywood’s best new actress. In 1954, she married professional baseball player Joe DiMaggio- two stars aligned briefly yet were ignited with a divorce the next year.  She worked on over twenty major motion pictures, married again this time to playwright Arthur Miller. She suffered two miscarriages, then the fame came swiftly, and the marriage turned badly with Monroe turning to drugs and alcohol.   On August 1962 and at the age of thirty six, she died of a drug overdose in her home. It was ruled a suicide but just like her life, her death has been riddled with rumors.  She had affairs with many high profile men, including then President JFK and we are left with unanswered questions about her life.

my custom made glass engraved Marilyn created by my father, artist Richard Matthews

Marilyn on Set, images via Wikipedia