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An iconic Andy Warhol painting is being projected onto 30 Rock

Plus: Pebble Bar is serving a Marilyn Monroe-inspired drink through May 9.

Anna Rahmanan
Written by
Anna Rahmanan
Senior National News Editor
Christie's Marilyn Monroe
Photograph: Christie's Images LTD. 2022
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One quarter of Andy Warhol's iconic "Shot Marilyns" series (four silkscreen canvases in different colors) will go up for auction at Christie's on May 9, likely becoming the most expensive piece of 20th century art to ever sell at auction. (Fun fact: that title is now held by Leonardo Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi, which sold for $450 million.)

To celebrate the occasion, the auction house is projecting the piece, dubbed Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, on the facade of three buildings—610 Fifth Avenue, 620 Fifth Avenue and 30 Rockefeller Plaza—between 7:30pm and midnight nightly through May 13.

According to ArtNet, "archival footage of Warhol at work will be projected onto the sides of [the 30 Rock] building, home to [Christie's] New York headquarters, during the same time period]."

The marketing stint doesn't end there, either. A slew of New York City venues will be joining in on the fun: Pebble Bar is serving a custom cocktail inspired by the work of art through May 9, Lingua Franca is selling a Warhol-themed sweatshirt, Rough Trade Records is promoting a playlist inspired by the 1960s and La Maison du Chocolat is creating a special storefront display. 

Back to Shot Sage Blue Marilyn: according to The New York Times, the painting "comes to Christie's from the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation Zurich, which supports health care and educational programs for children." All proceeds from the upcoming sale will actually benefit the foundation, "making the sale potentially the highest-grossing philanthropic auction since the collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller at Christie's in 2018."

When visiting the projection, you might also want to take a peek at "Casa Batlló: Living Architecture," a new public art piece on display outside Rockefeller Plaza that changes based on its surroundings. (Believe it or not, it's actually a live NFT.)

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