(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-11-14 15:36

This photo released by Christie's, shows Andy Warhol's iconic 1963 portrait Liz (Colored Liz), part of Christie's post war and contemporary art evening sale in New York Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007. [Agencies]

 

Andy Warhol's turquoise-background Elizabeth Taylor portrait sold for $23.7 million Tuesday at Christie's auction house, a spokeswoman said.

An anonymous bidder bought the portrait, "Liz (Colored Liz)," from a private collector. The sale price, which included the auction house's commission, fell below pre-sale estimates of $25 million to $35 million.

The 40-by-40-inch portrait is part of a series Warhol created in the 1960s of his muses including Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy.

Warhol completed "Liz (Colored Liz)" in 1963 about the same time Taylor suffered from a life-threatening illness. The painting is one of a series of a dozen and features a turquoise background and colorful eye shadow, violet eyes and red lipstick.

Also as part of Christie's art sale, "Diamond (Blue)," a sculpture from Jeff Koons' 1994-2005 "Celebration" series, was sold to the Gagosian Gallery for $11.8 million, Christie's spokeswoman Milena Sales said. Its pre-sale estimate was $12 million.

The top seller at the auction was Mark Rothko's 1995 "Untitled (Red, Blue, Orange)," which was sold to an anonymous bidder for $34.2 million, slightly higher than its pre-auction estimate.