Andy Warhol

Marilyn Monroe

About this artwork

Following Marilyn Monroe’s suicide in 1962 Warhol created numerous portraits of the star. His ‘Marilyn Diptych’, reproduced here, is one of his most iconic works. It features two canvases each with twenty-five Marilyns printed in a grid pattern. The two sides both complement and contrast with each other. One is vibrant and bursting with energy, a representation of the star as an icon. The other is monochrome and sombre, the uneven application of ink causing her face to fade and slowly disappear. Warhol, however, never initially intended the works to be shown as a diptych. According to the collector who bought the work directly from Warhol, he presented them as two separate works: “I said I thought they should be presented as a diptych, Andy replied ‘gee whiz yes’”.

Updated before 2020

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  • artist:
    Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987) American
  • title:
    Marilyn Monroe
  • date created:
    1962
  • materials:
    Lithograph on paper
  • measurements:
    55.90 x 72.40 cm
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. Acquired jointly through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Art Fund, 2008
  • accession number:
    AR00319
  • gallery:
  • depicted:
  • subject:
This artwork is part of Artist Rooms
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Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol