A new London event not to be missed! More than 60 years after her death, Marilyn Monroe is the focus of an exhibition bringing together 250 objects that once belonged to her. A collection of personal items assembled by a German collector.
Documentaries, films, immersive experiences… Marilyn Monroe has been told in many different ways over the decades. A talented actress with a sensual voice, she single-handedly embodied the golden age of Hollywood in the 1950s. A pop culture icon and sex symbol, her true identity has yet to be fully revealed. The mystery of Marilyn still galvanises the public today: who was she really? The new exhibition organised by the cultural institution Arches London Bridge provides some answers through objects that once belonged to the American star.
Marilyn Monroe, the exhibition
In all, no fewer than 250 objects from Marilyn Monroe’s personal world are on display at this London cultural venue. This intimate collection has been loaned by a German collector, Ted Stampfer, who has amassed no fewer than 1,500 pieces by the artist over the last 40 decades.
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We are rediscovering the paradox of the actress and singer, Norma Jeane Baker by birth. On the one hand, her exaggerated glamour, her magnetic talent in film and song and her strong statements that rocked the world in the 50s. On the other, an image of woman as object that clung to her in a very patriarchal society.
‘I knew that I belonged to the public and to the world, not because I was talented or even beautiful, but because I had never belonged to anything or anyone else’, said Marilyn Monroe.
Between the photos of the artist, the satin dresses, the vintage make-up and the shoes are more confidential objects that bear witness to Marilyn Monroe’s independent character, such as books, scripts and accessories with film sequences. A sexist letter from the Paramount studio about her salary is set against the feminist demands of the actress known for her roles in Men Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot and Seven Years Thinking. ‘A sex symbol becomes a thing. I hate being a thing’ can be read on the walls of the exhibition.
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‘The world was dominated by men in the 1950s, and she discovered this in the film production companies. She was very free, very strong, ambitious and courageous for her time. That makes her timeless,’ Ted Stampfer told France Info. ‘She is an icon and an idol for women’s liberation movements, even today’.
Liz Koravos, director of the Arches London Bridge gallery, said: ‘I think the issues she faced throughout her life still exist today. She is still relevant today and will be for decades, if not hundreds of years. She is the most famous female face of the 20th century. That’s why we keep telling her story, over and over again. And we learn something new every time.’
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From her childhood, with drawings and family photos, to her beginnings in Hollywood, her great career and her tragic death at the age of 36, the whole of her life is explored from an intimate angle. A rare exhibition full of contrasts, it reveals both the beauty, rebellion and love of Marilyn Monroe and her discreet, solitary and fragile personality.
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Featured photo: © Arches London Bridge 2024 – Joseph Jasgur
