{"id":998951,"date":"2026-06-01T19:54:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T19:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/998951\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T19:54:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T19:54:34","slug":"marilyn-monroe-exhibition-to-open-at-national-portrait-gallery-for-100th-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/998951\/","title":{"rendered":"Marilyn Monroe Exhibition to open at National Portrait Gallery for 100th Anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Opening this Thursday, 4th June, the National Portrait Gallery<\/a> is set to mark the centenary of Marilyn Monroe<\/a> with a major exhibition that reconsiders one of the most photographed\u2014and mythologised\u2014figures of the 20th century.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Marilyn Monroe, 1946, by Andr\u00e9 De Dienes, \u00a9 Andr\u00e9 de Dienes \/ MUUS Collection.<\/p>\n

Opening this summer, Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait <\/strong>(4th June \u2013 6th September 2026) brings together an extraordinary constellation of images that chart Monroe\u2019s life, career and enduring cultural afterlife. From early pin-up photographs of Norma Jeane to the intimate final images taken just weeks before her death in 1962, the exhibition unfolds as both a visual biography and a study in image-making itself.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cMarilyn\u00a0Monroe remains one of the most recognisable people in modern history: a shorthand for glamour, distilled from the films that she appeared in and the wealth of photographs of her, reinforced by the generations of artists she has inspired. We are proud to be staging this exhibition celebrating\u00a0Marilyn\u00a0in her centenary year, exploring her extraordinary life and influence as well as her enduring legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Victoria Siddall, Director of the National Portrait Gallery<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Rather than simply retelling a familiar story, the show positions Monroe as an active collaborator in the construction of her own image. Photographers repeatedly described her as an exceptional subject\u2014not only performing for the camera but directing it, shaping her persona with precision and instinct.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Marilyn Monroe, 1955, by Milton H. Greene, \u00a9 1962 MM LLC (Photograph by Allan Grant).<\/p>\n

The exhibition draws together works by some of the most influential artists and photographers of the 20th century. Portraits by Andy Warhol, Pauline Boty and Richard Avedon sit alongside images by Cecil Beaton, Philippe Halsman, Eve Arnold and Inge Morath, among many others.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Green Marilyn, 1962, by Andy Warhol, \u00a9 2026 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. \/ Licensed by DACS, London, National Gallery of Art, Washington. Gift of William C. Seitz and Irma S. Seitz\"\"<\/a>Colour Her Gone, 1962, by Pauline Boty. \u00a9 Pauline Boty Estate, Reproduction by permission of Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Purchased with the assistance of the Art Fund and the Friends of Wolverhampton Arts and Heritage<\/p>\n

A key highlight is a rarely seen series of photographs taken by Allan Grant at Monroe\u2019s Brentwood home just one day before her death. Originally shot for Life magazine, only a handful of the 432 images were ever published. Here, they appear as something far more intimate\u2014Monroe reading, reflecting, and performing subtle emotional shifts that reveal the complexity behind the icon.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Marilyn Monroe, 1962, by Allan Grant, \u00a9 1962 MM LLC (Photographs by Allan Grant), www.marilynslostphotos.com.<\/p>\n

The exhibition also traces Monroe\u2019s transformation into a symbol after her death. Warhol\u2019s now-iconic screen prints\u2014derived from a publicity still for Niagara\u2014elevate her image into something closer to religious iconography, while artists such as Boty, James Gill and Joseph Cornell respond with works shaped by grief, fascination and cultural obsession.<\/p>\n

Accompanying the exhibition is a major publication featuring contributions from writers including Lena Dunham, Sarah Churchwell and Griselda Pollock, offering new perspectives on Monroe\u2019s life and legacy.<\/p>\n

More than six decades after her death, Monroe remains both image and enigma. This exhibition doesn\u2019t attempt to resolve that tension\u2014instead, it leans into it, revealing how her image continues to shift, multiply and resonate across generations.<\/p>\n

\"\"Marilyn Monroe is seen in a classic photo by Milton H. Greene in a ballerina satin dress sitting on a wicker chair with her bare foot on the ground with her arm on her knee and back of hand facing up as she gives a seductive smile.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt has been a privilege to spend time curating an exhibition about a woman who both defined and challenged the era in which she lived. In addition to her iconic beauty,\u00a0Marilyn Monroe\u00a0had inimitable attitude, intelligence, strength and humanity and it is no surprise that she held such fascination for artists working during her lifetime and in the decades since.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosie Broadley, Joint-Head of Curatorial & Senior Curator of 20th Century Collections at the National Portrait Gallery<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait<\/strong>, 4th June \u2013 6th September 2026, National Portrait Gallery<\/a><\/p>\n

Coinciding with\u00a0Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait, as part of the centenary celebrations, BFI Southbank are presenting a film season,\u00a0Marilyn Monroe: Self Made Star\u00a0throughout June and July.<\/p>\n

Categories Tags Author \"\" <\/p>\n

Mark Westall<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mark Westall is the Founder and Editor of FAD magazine –<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Opening this Thursday, 4th June, the National Portrait Gallery is set to mark the centenary of Marilyn Monroe…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":998952,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3939],"tags":[6970,4021,4020,4022,77,234798,93600,104727,2249,6969,277162,16,15],"class_list":["post-998951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-andy-warhol","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-london-exhibitions","tag-marilyn-monroe","tag-national-portrait-gallery","tag-photography","tag-pop-art","tag-richard-avedon","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116676609500836523","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/998951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=998951"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/998951\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/998952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=998951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=998951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=998951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}