Earl Moran’s glowing image, Marilyn – a gorgeous image of a young Norma Jean before she became Marilyn Monroe – was the apple of many a collector’s eye at a Heritage Auctions sale on Friday, February 11 in Beverly Hills. Heated bidding drove the final price to $83,650 and a record price for a Moran painting, practically doubling his previous record, and selling for more than seven times the $12,000 pre-auction estimate.“We’ve seen prices and demand continue to climb for Moran’s effervescent images,” said Ed Jaster, Senior Vice President at Heritage. “Given the beauty of the subject, his amazing feel for light and the knowledge of who Marilyn would become, then it’s not surprising that this painting soared to more than seven times its pre-auction estimate.”
