Andy Warhol: Marilyn (F&S II.30), 1967
Andy Warhol: Marilyn (F&S II.30), 1967 framed
Andy Warhol
36 x 36 in.
Andy Warhol’s Marilyn #30 (1967), from his celebrated Marilyn Monroe portfolio, is a dazzling study in repetition, fame, and colour. The print portrays Monroe with vivid orange hair and eyelids, her luminous face set against a bold turquoise background. Warhol reimagined the actress’s image, originally a publicity still from her 1953 film Niagara, with her head turned slightly to the right and lips parted in a soft, alluring smile. The layered use of black ink across the composition introduces striking contrasts that amplify both the glamour and the fragility beneath her iconic beauty.
Created five years after Monroe’s death, Marilyn F&S 30 reflects Warhol’s enduring fascination with celebrity, mortality, and the power of the mass-produced image. As a pioneer of the Pop Art movement, Warhol blurred the boundaries between high art and popular culture, transforming familiar faces and everyday consumer goods into modern icons. His screen printing technique, allowing for variations in colour and tone, became a perfect vehicle for exploring repetition, fame, and the commodification of beauty that continues to define his legacy.