Andy Warhol (1928-1987)

Round Marilyn,

1961-12-31T23:00:00
Material / Technology / Carrier
Acryl und Siebdruckfarbe auf Leinwand / Acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas
Dimensions of the object
45,2 cm
Displayed
Not on display
Department
Museum Brandhorst
Genre
Malerei
Inventory number
UAB 504
Acquisition
2007 Udo und Anette Brandhorst Stiftung
Stock
Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen - Museum Brandhorst München
Citation
Andy Warhol, Round Marilyn, 1961-12-31T23:00:00, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen - Museum Brandhorst München, URL: https://www.sammlung.pinakothek.de/en/artwork/wq4jaJqGWo (Last updated on 26.03.2024)
In 1962, Andy Warhol discovered screen-printing for his art. By using this technique, he was able to serially integrate media images into his painting. Now a famous and often-copied portrait series, Warhol embarked on his paintings of the actress Marilyn Monroe after her death in the summer of 1962. He used a press photo for the film “Niagara” (1953); her idealized image is seductive and of breathtaking beauty. For three works in the series, he primed the canvas in gold; two of the works were created as tondos. The golden background, which in sacred art symbolizes the realm of the divine, bestows her with a quasi-religious aura. But Monroe’s sanctity had already been crushed at this point. Whether it was suicide or contract murder (still a matter of speculation today), her death was not least the product of a society that fed on the fame of its stars as relentlessly as it indulged in their demise.