Could 'Blue Marilyn' be the most expensive painting in Christie’s auction history?

CAIRO – 23 March 2022: Andy Warhol's painting "Blue Marilyn," which is currently displayed in an international auction, stirs expectations to be the most expensive artwork sold at a Christie's auction, as it is set to be put up in New York next May.

“Marilyn stands in line with the 'Mona Lisa'a and the last time a Marilyn painting was sold was in 1998,” Alex Rutter, Christie’s president of art in the 20th and 21st centuries, said during a press conference. The sale fetched $17 million, according to Art News Paper.

Marilyn Monroe was originally headed into a modeling career, until Howard Hughes found her and convinced her to sign her first contract with Twentieth Century Fox Films in August 1946. In the early 50s, she managed to become a Hollywood star.

Her major successes included the films "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", "The Seventh Year Itch" and "Some Like It Hot", for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Comedy Actress in 1960.

Despite that huge fame, Monroe failed in her personal life, and her career did not bring her psychological satisfaction. 

Her death raised many possibilities and suspicions (suicide, an overdose of sedatives, or a political assassination), which contributed to strengthening her position as a cultural icon.