Andy Warhol's portrait of Marilyn Monroe, estimated to be worth $200 million, tops the spring auction in New York, which collectors say is one of the most anticipated in history, AFP reported.

Christie's expects Warhol's "Shot Sage Blue Marilyn," created in 1964, to become the most expensive piece of 20th-century art when the auction house lets it go under the hammer Monday.

Rival Sotheby's, which will offer $1 billion worth of contemporary art during its landmark week in May, is not far behind.

Warhol's silkscreen is part of a series of portraits the pop artist made of Monroe after her death from a drug overdose in August 1962.

The auction record for a Warhol painting is $104.5 million paid for "Silver Car Crash" (Double Crash) in 2013.

Other major works offered by Christie's include "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Derelict," (1982) by Jean-Michel Basquiat, which is expected to sell for more than $30 million, and "Untitled (Shades of Red)" Mark Rothko, which is being asked for up to $80 million.