Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn Sets New Auction Record

Andy Warhol 1928-1987

Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn (1964) sold for $194 million at Christie’s New York on May 9. Bought by an unknown buyer, the work garnered the highest price achieved for an American work of art at auction.

The silkscreen is one in a series of five, based on a promotional photo of Marilyn Monroe from the film Niagara. The historical significance, alluded to in the title of the work, is that Dorothy Podber, a visitor to Warhol’s studio, pulled out a gun and shot through the stack of Marilyn silkscreens that were piled up in the studio.

Eddie Martinez 1977 –

The vibrant works of Eddie Martinez have been garnering much attention and setting records for at auction. The Brooklyn-based artist says that he loves graffiti, but stopped painting on walls (when he wasn’t invited to), deciding that incarceration wasn’t worth the risk. He attended the Art Institute of Boston and moved to New York.

His style, that combines fine art with a flowing, street sensibility, has gotten him international recognition. He has had solo shows at the Yuz Museum in Shanghai, the Drawing Center in New York, the Bronx Museum, the Davis Museum at Wellesley College and has been featured in The New York Times, the Brooklyn Rail, Art in America and other prestigious publications and galleries.

In 2019, his High Flying Bird (2014) painting sold for $2.02 million at Christie’s.

Martinez and his wife, artist Sam Moyer, work with young artists in New York’s Free Arts program.

Tom Wesselmann 1931-2004

I find sometimes I get so excited working, especially when starting new ideas; I get so excited that I get uncomfortable. It almost feels dangerous, like I’m flirting with something dangerous.
– Tom Wesselmann

Tom Wesselmann was envious of Willem de Kooning and became intrigued by the works of Henri Matisse while he studied at Cooper Union from 1956 to 1959. One of his teachers, Nicholas Marsicano, encouraged him “to find your own way. . . You can’t do what Matisse did.” Still, the  influence of Matisse can be seen in the colors and lines of Wesselmann’s works .

Wesselmann often payed tribute to the artists he admired. He sculpted with cutouts, a la Matisse, and created Maquette for Still Life with Johns and Matisse. One of his finest still life works is Mixed Bouquet with Leger and Monica Sitting with Mondrian is an homage to another great artist.

Tom Wesselmann: After Matisse will be on exhibit at the Almine Rech Paris Gallery from June 11 through July 30, 2022.

Please contact us if you would like more information about the works of Andy Warhol, Eddie Martinez or Tom Wesselmann available at VFA.