The blonde sensation takes over Trafalgar Square
Marilyn Monroe is known for many things: the swinging fence window, that she made diamonds an acceptable best friend, and being the only one who managed to make a performance of “Happy Birthday” anything other than violently agonizing with her “Happy Birthday Mr. President” performance. Now London is getting a brand new exhibition that celebrates the Hollywood sensation on what would have been the star’s 100th birthday.
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The exhibition opens at The National Portrait Gallery and will run from 4 June to 6 September, under the title “Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait”. It will give the general public a glimpse into the icon’s life, loves, and career.
The exhibition is created in collaboration with Marilyn Monroe’s estate, and will show portraits of the Hollywood darling taken by some of the world’s most celebrated photographers and artists. It will bring together works by Andy Warhol, Pauline Boty, Marlene Dumas, James Gill, Rosalyn Drexler, and Audrey Flack, along with over 20 era-defining photographers, including Cecil Beaton, Philippe Halsman, Bernard of Hollywood, and more, to highlight Monroe’s collaborative approach to image-making and her creative agency.
Tickets aren’t even on sale yet, but the hype is definitely building as more details are shared, with Londoners eager to see some of the beautiful, intimate photos up close for the first time in decades.
Along with images that have become world-famous in their own right, the collection will cover most of Monroe’s life, showcasing images from her early days as a young model, right up to her last photographs taken in 1962. In addition to the photos, some of her personal belongings will also be on display, such as books, manuscripts, and clothes she wore throughout her career.
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