A Portrait of Princess Diana by Andy Warhol Is Heading to Sale at Phillip's Auction House
Andy Warhol's Portrait of Princess Diana (1982) is heading for sale at Phillip's Auction House London and is estimated to sell for $1,500,000 to $2,300,000.
Remember the official engagement photo by Lord Snowdon of Prince Charles and Princess Diana taken in July of 1981? Warhol's portrait of Diana is essentially a contemporary art version of that and follows the stylistic vein of his other glamorous muses, such as Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy.
Portrait of Princess Diana portrays the late Princess against a plain, light-blue background wearing a dress painted in the same color. It is the same hue of blue used in Jackie (Smiling, 1964) by Warhol. In the painting, Diana is depicted wearing the diamond and pearl necklace, as in the original engagement portrait. Warhol made other iterations of this painting, including ones in green and purple, but only the blue is for sale.
During his career, Warhol was highly interested in the rise of media technologies and how it warps the realities of celebrity figures. Jackie Kennedy, too, became a key subject for Warhol for this very reason. His Sixteen Jackies, which was recently on sale at Christie's auction house, featured repetitive images of her after JFK's assassination published in a newspaper and thoroughly circulated throughout the public.
Princess Diana was no different; the press obviously had a heavy hand in Princess Diana's life (whether she liked it or not). Her glamorous, but tragic reality is what may have drawn the artist to her.
The sale takes place tomorrow, March 7, 2024, at Phillips Auction House on. To register or place an advanced bid, please visit phillips.com.
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