Monroe portrait fetches €22,000
A head and shoulders portrait of Marilyn Monroe has fetched twice as much as expected at auction.
The black and white picture, which she dedicated to an agent who helped her career, sold for £14,100 (€22,000), including buyer's premium, at Christie's in South Kensington.
The estimate had been about €10,000.
It was taken in about 1949 and was inscribed: "To John, I love you, my Dearest, Marilyn."
John Hyde was an influential Hollywood agent with the William Morris Agency who first met Marilyn at Sam Spiegel's New Year's Eve party in 1948, when her career was at a standstill.
Hyde championed her cause and helped her find new roles.
According to a biography of the star, Hyde was desperately in love with her. But although she was fond of him, and grateful for his help, she did not reciprocate his feelings.
He died in 1950 of a heart attack. That weekend, Marilyn had declined an invitation to his Palm Springs home.
Consequently she blamed herself for his death, which led to a suicide attempt of her own the day after his funeral. The portrait was bought by the William Morris Agency.
