Warhol portrait of Marilyn Monroe fetches record $195m

New York: An iconic portrait of Marilyn Monroe by American pop art visionary Andy Warhol went under the hammer for a record $195 million Monday at Christie’s, becoming the most expensive 20th century artwork ever sold at public auction.

“Shot Sage Blue Marilyn,” produced in 1964 two years after the death of the glamourous Hollywood star, sold for exactly $195.04 million, including fees, in just four minutes in a crowded room at Christie’s headquarters in Manhattan.

It beat the previous record for a 20th century work, Pablo Picasso’s “Women of Algiers,” which brought $179.4 million in 2015.