The work which represents nineteen times in black and white the same image of a macabre car accident remains far from the record of the American artist, one of the portraits of Marylin Monroe was acquired this year for 195 million dollars.
Le Monde with AFP
Two minutes and more than $ 85 million (or 82 million euros). This is what it took to attribute to auction a monumental and emblematic canvas of Andy Warhol dating from 1963.
At the end of a brief duel between two representatives of the auction house who took their orders on the phone in New York, the work White Disaster [White Car Crash 19 Times], estimated at more than 80 million Dollars by Sotheby’s who directed the sale, started with a hammer at $ 74 million, or 85,350,500 dollars with the costs.
This remains far from the record of the American artist whose portrait of Marilyn Monroe, Shot Sage Blue Marylin of 1962 was awarded in early May at Christie’s for 195 million dollars, becoming the work of the XX e the most expensive century ever sold at auction.
The canvas sold on Wednesday evening, made in screen printing and graphite ink, represents nineteen times in black and white the same image of a macabre car accident, with a sometimes dazzled scene, as by light D ‘a flash. It measures 3.6 meters high.
No information on the buyer
The Pop Art Master, who died in 1987, became an auction star and the last time as a monumental canvas of this series, known as Death and Disaster Series, had been sold in 2013, she had Established a new record for the artist, at $ 105 million at Sotheby’s.
“At the end of 1962, Warhol painted Marilyn Monroe, which marked the beginning of his fascination for the imagery of celebrities. But it is in reality [the] disappearance [of Marilyn Monroe] to the End of 1962 and the spectacle that surrounded him which captured his fascination and led him to carry out death and disaster paintings at the beginning of 1963, “said the France-Presse agency ( AFP) David Galperin, chief of contemporary art for the Americas at Sotheby’s.
Only three works, from this crash image, exist in this monumental format, one of which is at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York. The one sold on Wednesday came from a private collection and Sotheby’s gave no information on the buyer, as it is habit.