Steel stilettos raise auction hopes

A GIANT pair of stilettoes inspired by the shoes worn by Marilyn Monroe in the Billy Wilder classic comedy The Seven Year Itch when she famously stood on an air vent go under the hammer later this week.

Marilyn, a pair of stiletto heels made from stainless steel pans and lids, is being offered for auction at Christie's in London.

The work by the French-born Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, which measures 13ft by 9.8ft, is expected to sale for between 100,000 and 150,000.

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In June last year, Christie's auctioned Golden Independent Heart, by the same artist, a 14ft rotating heart made of plastic cutlery, which exceeded its estimate of between 80,000 and 120,000, by selling for 163,250.

Marilyn is part of the Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale which takes place on Thursday. The 52 lots are expected to sell for between 26,290,000 to 38,260,000.

The auction will represent a broad spectrum of art from the last 60 years.

Other lots include a 1968 mural by Roy Lichtenstein, which the auctioneers say could be sold for between 200,000 and 300,000, three works by artist Anish Kapoor, as well as a 2007 work by Leeds College of Art graduate Damien Hirst.

Daemon, an image of house-hold gloss paint and butterflies on canvas, carries a price tag of between 300,000 and 400,000.