VOA文化艺术2022--安迪·沃霍尔《枪击玛丽莲》1.95亿美元成交

Warhol’s ‘Marilyn’ Painting Sells for $195M

A famous painting of Marilyn Monroe by American artist Andy Warhol sold for $195 million on Monday. That is the most ever paid in a public sale for a work by an American.

Warhol painted "Shot Sage¹ Blue Marilyn" in 1964. The colorful image shows Monroe with yellow hair, blue eye shadow and bright red lips, with a rich blue background.

The sale took place at Christie's auction² house in New York. Representatives from Christie's said the painting became the costliest³ work of art from the 20th century ever auctioned⁴.

The Warhol painting passed the earlier record holder⁵, Jean-Michel Basquiat. His 1982 painting "Untitled" of a skull⁶-like face sold for a record $110.5 million in 2017 at Sotheby's in New York.

Warhol created more than one image of Monroe. The "Shot Sage Blue Marilyn" painting has been shown in museums around the world.

Christie's said an unnamed buyer made the purchase Monday night. When the auction was announced earlier this year, Christie's estimated it could go for as much as $200 million.

"It's an amazing price," said Alex Rotter, chairman of Christie's 20th and 21st century art department. "Let it sink in, it's quite something."

The earnings⁷ of the sale will go to the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation Zurich, which put the painting up for auction. The foundation aims to help children with health care and educational programs.

Words in This Story

eye shadow –n. a kind of makeup⁸ worn on the eyelids⁹

background –n. the part of a scene or picture that is farthest from the viewer

skull –n. the bones that form the head

amazing –adj. causing great surprise or wonder

1 sage   

n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的

参考例句：

• I was grateful for the old man's sage advice.我很感激那位老人贤明的忠告。
• The sage is the instructor of a hundred ages.这位哲人是百代之师。

2 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

3 costliest   

adj.昂贵的( costly的最高级 )；代价高的；引起困难的；造成损失的

参考例句：

• At 81 billion dollars, Katrina is the costliest natural disaster in American history. “卡特里娜”飓风造成了近810亿美圆的损失，是美国历史上最严重的自然灾难之一。 来自互联网
• Senator John Kerry has proposed a tax on the costliest health plans sold by insurance companies. 参议员约翰？克里(JohnKerry)已经提议对保险公司销售的高价值的保险计划征税。 来自互联网

4 auctioned   

v.拍卖( auction的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was sad to see all grandmother's lovely things being auctioned off. 眼看着祖母那些可爱的东西全都被拍卖掉，心里真不好受。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder. 电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

6 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

7 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

8 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

9 eyelids   

n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色

参考例句：

• She was so tired, her eyelids were beginning to droop. 她太疲倦了，眼睑开始往下垂。
• Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》