Andy Warhol portrait Marilyn Monroe sells for $195 million, smashing record for most expensive work by a U.S. artist ever sold at auction

New York — Andy Warhol's "Shot Sage Blue Marilyn" sold for a cool $195 million on Monday, making the iconic portrait of Marilyn Monroe the most expensive work by a U.S. artist ever sold at auction.

The 1964 silkscreen image shows Monroe in vibrant close-up - hair yellow, eyeshadow blue and lips red - on a rich blue background. It's also the most expensive piece from the 20th century ever auctioned, according to Christie's auction house in New York, where the sale took place.

The Warhol sale unseated the previous record holder and another modern master, Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose 1982 painting "Untitled" of a skull-like face sold for a record $110.5 million at Sotheby's in 2017.