Most Valuable Andy Warhol Paintings Ever Sold
Andy Warhol transformed modern art, reshaped pop art, and left a lasting mark on global popular culture. His bold use of celebrity imagery, mass media, consumer products, and repetition changed the way people understood art in the 20th century.
By the time of his death in 1987, Warhol was far from an unknown or struggling artist. His fortune was already estimated at $220 million. Since then, the market for Andy Warhol paintings has risen dramatically, with collectors paying extraordinary prices for his most iconic works. From Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley to haunting images from his “Death and Disaster” series, these are among the most expensive Andy Warhol artworks ever sold.
10. Race Riot
Christie’s
Value: $62.8 million
Bottom line: Created in 1964, “Race Riot” is a powerful silkscreen from Warhol’s “Death and Disaster” series. The series includes 70 images sourced from newspapers and law enforcement materials, showing subjects such as car crashes, suicides, violence, and public tragedy.
Warhol began working on the series after seeing a newspaper image of a plane crash. He later explained that while he was also painting Marilyn Monroe, he realized that death had become a recurring subject in his work. “Race Riot” is based on a photograph by “Life” photographer Charles Moore, showing law enforcement confronting a Civil Rights march in Birmingham, Alabama.
The painting was originally owned by art curator and collector Sam Wagstaff, who later gave it to his partner, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. It sold in 2014 for $62.8 million.
9. Men in Her Life
Phillips
Value: $63.4 million
Bottom line: This 1962 painting reflects Warhol’s fascination with fame, celebrity, and the media. “Men in Her Life” features actress Elizabeth Taylor alongside her third husband, Mike Todd, and her fourth husband, Eddie Fisher.
The work captures the kind of tabloid-style celebrity narrative that interested Warhol throughout his career. It sold in 2010 to an anonymous buyer, widely believed to be Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.
8. Four Marlons
Christie’s
Value: $69.6 million
Bottom line: Warhol’s “Four Marlons” sold at auction in 2014 for nearly $70 million. Made in 1966, the painting shows actor Marlon Brando as motorcycle gang leader Johnny Strabler from the 1953 film “The Wild One.”
The image had been purchased by Germany’s WestSpiel casino group for its casino in Aachen. In 2009, the group placed this work and two other Warhol paintings in storage. “Four Marlons” was later sold at Christie’s in November 2014 to an anonymous bidder.
7. Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I)
Christie’s
Value: $71.7 million
Bottom line: Another major work from the “Death and Disaster” series, “Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I)” is based on a photograph showing the aftermath of a Seattle car chase. The original image was taken by “Newsweek” photographer John Whitehead.
The painting remained in a private collection in Zurich for more than 30 years before it was sold in 2007. The buyer was anonymous, though reports have linked the purchase to Greek shipping magnate Philip Niarchos.
6. Turquoise Marilyn
Etsy
Value: $80 million
Bottom line: “Turquoise Marilyn” is one of five colored Marilyn Monroe paintings Warhol created in 1964. These works became central to Warhol’s legacy and remain among the most recognizable images in pop art.
The group of paintings became famous for an unusual incident at Warhol’s studio, the Factory. Dorothy Podber, a friend of one of Warhol’s assistants, asked if she could “shoot” the paintings. Warhol thought she meant photographing them, but she pulled out a gun and fired at the stacked canvases, damaging four of them. Those works became known as the “Shot Marilyns.”
The turquoise version was not in the stack and remained undamaged. It was later sold at auction to Chicago art collector Stefan Edlis in 2007.
5. Triple Elvis
Christie’s
Value: $81.9 million
Bottom line: “Triple Elvis” was also sold by the WestSpiel casino group in 2014. Created in 1963, the painting shows Elvis Presley dressed as a cowboy from the 1960 western “Flaming Star.”
Warhol printed multiple images of Elvis onto a large roll of canvas before sending it to the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles. He included frames in different sizes and instructed the gallery owner to cut the canvas to fit them. This approach reflected Warhol’s interest in repetition, mass production, and the flexible presentation of celebrity imagery.
4. White Disaster [White Car Crash 19 Times]
Sotheby’s
Value: $85.3 million
Bottom line: “White Disaster [White Car Crash 19 Times]” is the largest work in Warhol’s “Death and Disaster” series, measuring 12 feet by 6 feet. The painting repeats a stark image of a wrecked car with a victim inside.
The source photograph first appeared in a 1963 issue of “Newsweek.” Before its sale, the artwork had remained in a private collection for more than two decades. The buyer has not been publicly identified.
3. Eight Elvises
All Posters
Value: $100 million
Bottom line: “Eight Elvises” comes from the same roll of Elvis Presley images as “Triple Elvis.” It was also displayed at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, where Warhol’s repeated images of the singer helped define his approach to fame and commercial culture.
Italian heir and art collector Annibale Berlingieri owned the piece until 2008, when it was sold to an unknown buyer. Today, the painting’s location and owner remain a mystery. It has not been exhibited publicly since the 1960s.
2. Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)
Sotheby’s
Value: $105.4 million
Bottom line: “Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)” is another major work from the “Death and Disaster” series, which continues to attract intense interest from collectors. The painting shows the aftermath of a violent crash, including a twisted body inside a damaged car.
The large-scale work measures 8 feet by 13 feet and had been publicly displayed only once in the previous three decades before its sale. It had belonged to a private European collection since 1989 and was sold to an anonymous collector in 2013.
1. Shot Sage Blue Marilyn
Christie’s
Value: $195 million
Bottom line: “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” is the most expensive Andy Warhol painting sold to date. It sold for $195 million in May 2022, making it the most expensive artwork by an American artist ever sold at auction and the most expensive 20th-century artwork ever sold in a public sale.
American art dealer Larry Gagosian placed the winning bid, although it has not been confirmed whether he bought the painting for himself or on behalf of another buyer. With its striking image of Marilyn Monroe and its connection to one of Warhol’s most famous series, “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” stands as a defining symbol of pop art’s enduring value.