The name Marilyn Monroe has long transcended her identity as an actress to become one of the defining cultural symbols of the twentieth century. In celebration of the Hollywood star’s 100th birthday and in association with the Marilyn Monroe Estate, Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait explores the life, career and legacy of Marilyn Monroe through portraits created by some of the greatest photographers and artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The exhibition encompasses photography, painting, collage, fashion, and rare archival materials, tracing both Monroe’s professional career and the decades of artistic reinterpretation that followed her death. It also includes personal belongings such as scripts and clothes to enrich our understanding of the woman behind the image. Beginning with the earliest pin-up photographs taken when she was a young model named Norma Jeane, the exhibition follows her transformation into one of the most recognisable figures in modern history, culminating in her final LIFE magazine interview and the poignant beach photographs taken by George Barris on Santa Monica beach in 1962.
Among the exhibition’s most compelling revelations are previously unseen photographs by Allan Grant, taken at Monroe’s Brentwood residence just one day before her death in August 1962. Of the 432 images captured during that intimate session, only eight were originally published. Together they show Monroe reading the transcript of her final interview — by turns joyful, contemplative and quietly reflective.
Central to the exhibition is Monroe’s own creative agency. Photographers who worked with her described her as the best subject they had ever had; she not only performed for the camera, but directed sessions and claimed the right to veto any images she did not approve. The exhibition foregrounds this collaborative and self-directed approach to image-making as inseparable from her legacy.
One of the exhibition’s most compelling aspects is the ongoing dialogue between photography and artistic interpretation. Visitors encounter the vivid and intimate Monroe captured by André de Dienes, Richard Avedon and George Barris, while also seeing how these images were subsequently transformed into paintings and artworks by artists including Andy Warhol, Pauline Boty, James Gill, Rosalyn Drexler and Audrey Flack. Together, these works construct a second life for Monroe within art history.
As one of the most photographed individuals of the twentieth century, Monroe left behind an extraordinary visual archive. Her photographic image remains endlessly diverse and open to reinterpretation. Through this exhibition, audiences encounter not merely a star, but a creative presence whose influence continues to shape visual culture today.
Marilyn Monroe™; Rights of Publicity and Persona Rights are used with permission of The Estate of Marilyn Monroe LLC. Photo by Sam Shaw © 2026 Shaw Family Archives.
瑪麗蓮·夢露（Marilyn Monroe）的名字，幾乎早已超越演員的身份，成為二十世紀最具代表性的文化符號之一。為慶祝這位好萊塢巨星誕辰100週年，並與瑪麗蓮·夢露遺產管理機構合作，《瑪麗蓮·夢露:肖像誌》（Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait）通過20世紀和21世紀一些最偉大的攝影師和藝術家創作的肖像，探索瑪麗蓮·夢露的生活、事業與遺產。
本次展覽匯集了攝影、繪畫、拼貼、服裝以及珍貴檔案資料，橫跨她的職業生涯與身後數十年的藝術再創造。展覽還展出了劇本、衣物等個人物品，加深人們對這位身處圖像背後的女性本身的認識。從她仍以諾瑪·簡（Norma Jeane）之名出鏡的最早期寫真照片開始，追溯她如何一步步成為舉世矚目的明星，並延續至她人生最後一次接受《LIFE》雜誌採訪，以及攝影師喬治·巴里斯（George Barris）於1962年在聖莫尼卡海灘拍攝的著名照片。
展覽的重要亮點之一，是攝影師艾倫·格蘭特（Allan Grant）從未公開的珍貴影像——攝於1962年8月夢露離世前一天，拍攝地點是她位於布倫特伍德的寓所。此次拍攝共留下432張照片，當年僅有8張曾公開發表。這批影像記錄了夢露閱讀最後一次採訪文稿時的神情，喜悅、沉思與靜默交織其中。
展覽同樣著力呈現夢露本人在圖像創作中的主體性。曾與她合作的攝影師無不稱她是有史以來最好的拍攝對象——她不僅配合鏡頭，更主導拍攝過程，並擁有否決不滿意照片的權利。這種自主而具創造性的形象塑造方式，是她留給後世遺產中不可分割的一部分。
本次展覽最引人注目的，在於攝影與藝術創作之間持續展開的對話。一方面，觀眾能夠看到安德烈·德·迪內斯（André de Dienes）、理查德·阿維頓（Richard Avedon）、喬治·巴里斯（George Barris）等攝影師鏡頭下真實而鮮活的夢露；另一方面，則能夠看到這些影像如何被不同藝術家重新轉化為繪畫與藝術作品。展覽匯集了安迪·沃霍爾（Andy Warhol）、寶琳·博蒂（Pauline Boty）、詹姆斯·吉爾（James Gill）、羅莎琳·德雷克斯勒（Rosalyn Drexler）與奧黛麗·弗拉克（Audrey Flack）等藝術家的創作，共同構成夢露在藝術史中的另一重生命。
作為二十世紀被拍攝最多的人物之一，夢露留下了無數廣為流傳的影像。她留下的視覺遺產豐富多樣，至今仍向無數詮釋敞開。透過這場展覽，人們所看到的不僅是一位明星，更是一股持續影響視覺文化至今的創造性力量。
Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait
4 June 2026 – 6 September 2026
National Portrait Gallery
Edited by x Jackie Liu
