Marilyn Monroe (Monroe) (F. & S. II.21): Screenprint by Andy Warhol

  • Andy Warhol Marilyn II.21 1967 screenprint green hair pink background yellow face Marilyn Monroe Pop Art print
    Marilyn Monroe (Monroe) (F. & S. II.21), 1967
    Screenprint on paper, 15.2 x 15.2 cm, Edition of 100, signed  (some unsigned) in pencil and numbered with a rubber stamp on verso
    Printer: Aetna Silkscreen Products, Inc., NY, Publisher: Factory Additions, NY
    © The Andy Warhol Foundation
    Back to: Marilyn SUITE
     

    Using his signature silkscreen technique, Andy Warhol’s Marilyn II.21 transforms the image of Marilyn Monroe into a bold limited edition print. Based on a publicity still from the 1953 film Niagara, the work forms part of Warhol’s iconic Marilyn Monroe, 1967, portfolio, a cornerstone of Pop Art printmaking. Created shortly after Monroe’s death, the series reflects themes of celebrity culture, mass media, and the commodification of fame. In this print, saturated pinks, yellows, and greens intensify the mechanical repetition of Warhol’s grid, reinforcing the image’s mass-produced aesthetic.

     

    In this variation, Monroe’s platinum-blonde hair is rendered in an almost electric green, set against a flat, high-saturation pink background. Her skin is reduced to a yellow tone, flattening depth and eliminating natural shadow, while her eyes are framed with heavy, vivid pink eyeshadow that exaggerates her gaze. The lips, printed in deep green with darker tonal breaks, appear stylised and slightly abstracted, reinforcing the mechanical nature of the silkscreen process. These bold, contrasting colour choices create a striking visual tension, giving Monroe a mask-like, almost synthetic presence.

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  • “I love Hollywood. They’re beautiful. Everybody’s plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic.”
    - Andy Warhol
    In this instance, ''Marilyn'  becomes a veneer for Norma Jeane Mortenson: the private individual who was required to bleach her hair, change her name, and alter her voice to meet studio expectations, attracting a ruthless paparazzi. Of course, the fact that Warhol began producing his Marilyn series shortly after her tragic death in 1962 heightens the poignancy of the portrait. By repeating and reinterpreting Monroe’s face across prints, Warhol blurs the line between fine art and commercial reproduction.