Warhol's Lemon
Marilyn sells for $28 million

Purchased by a private buyer in 1962 for just $250, Andy Warhol's iconic Lemon Marilyn sold Wednesday night at Christie's New York for a record-breaking $28,040,000, according to ArtNet.com. The latest "flavor" to be auctioned off from Warhol's series of 13 "Marilyn" silk-screen portraits--which includes Grape, Cherry, and Mint--Lemon eclipses the sale last November of Orange Marilyn, which went for $16.3 million.

The big winner of the evening, however, was Warhol's Green Car Crash, which fetched a whopping $71.7 million. All in all, Christie's sale of postwar and contemporary art brought in a jaw-dropping $384.6 million, topping the $254.9 million registered by Sotheby's the night before, according to Bloomberg.com. However, Mark Rothko's White Center, which sold at Sotheby's for $72.8 million, represents the highest price ever for postwar art.

Warhol's previous highest-selling piece was Mao, a 1972 portrait that brought in $17.4 million last November. Both Lemon Marilyn and Green Car Crash were won by phone bidders. (The Advocate)