Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe (FS II.30)

Medium: Silkscreen in colour, signed
Hand signed and numbered
Created in 1967
Size: 36" x 36" (91.44 x 91.44 cm)
Edition: Hand signed and numbered edition of 250
Published by Factory Additions, New York
Reference: Feldman & Schellmann Andy Warhol Prints: A Catalogue Raisonné 1962–1987, Cat. No.  II.30.

Certificate of Authenticity is included.

Marilyn Monroe died on August 5, 1962, from a barbiturate overdose at age 36. Warhol, who had just begun experimenting with silkscreen printing that same month, was immediately drawn to the media saturation surrounding her death. He was fascinated by the way fame, image, and mortality intertwined - themes that would define much of his work.

All of Warhol’s major Marilyn works are based on the same photograph: a 1953 publicity still taken by Gene (Eugene) Kornman for the film Niagara. Warhol cropped the original head-and-shoulders shot tightly around her face, removing almost everything else. This single image became the foundation for dozens of paintings and the famous 1967 silkscreen portfolio.