Shot Marilyns

The Shot Marilyns are a series of five 1964 silkscreen paintings by American artist Andy Warhol depicting actress Marilyn Monroe. Based on a publicity photograph from the 1953 film Niagara taken by Gene Kornman, the paintings feature Monroe's portrait rendered in different color combinations and backgrounds. The paintings acquired their collective title after performance artist Dorothy Podber fired a revolver through a stack of four of the canvases at Warhol's Factory studio in 1964. Although the damaged works were repaired, the incident permanently altered their history and contributed to their fame. The Shot Marilyns are among Warhol's most celebrated works and include some of the most expensive paintings ever sold, notably Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, which sold for $195 million in 2022, setting a record for the most expensive artwork by an American artist at auction.