Marilyn Monroe 1926-1962
While we await the results of today’s Essentially Marilyn auction at Profiles in History, I can report that in yesterday’s online photo sale at Julien’s, a 1949 photo of a swimsuit-clad Marilyn (signed by Lazslo Willinger) and another pair of pin-ups from 1953 sold for $5,120 each; and a bathroom tile, part of the Mexican decor Marilyn chose for her last home, sold for $2,560.
Photos of Marilyn – signed by photographers William Carroll, Laszlo Willinger, Kashio Aoki, Milton Greene, Bert Stern and George Barris – plus paparazzi shots from events such as Ray Anthony’s ‘My Marilyn’ party, are up for bids at an online sale at Julien’s Auctions on December 10. A bathroom tile from her final home is also on offer, with an estimate of $2,000-$2,5000. (And don’t forget the Essentially Marilyn auction at Profiles in History on December 11.)
Several photos of Marilyn are featured in Hollywood Beach Beauties, a new book from David Wills (author of MM: Metamorphosis and Marilyn in the Flash.) Eagle-eyed fans will know that the back cover photo, as shown above – taken by Laszlo Willinger circa 1951-52 – has been colorized (by Olga Shimina), as other photos from the same session show that Marilyn’s two-piece wasn’t red.
In an interview with Stephanie Nolasco for Fox News, David Wills shared his thoughts on the ultimate California girl:
“I don’t know if she thought much about it at the time, because I know later in her career she didn’t want to be associated with that, but it certainly helped her get a lot of attention. You look back as early as 1945 and she was posing in bathing suits.
Then at a certain time, she didn’t want to do that anymore… So for the last 10 years of her life, you rarely saw her posing in bathing suits. Only a few occasions, like the ones taken by Sam Shaw, which are in the book … But professionally at some point, she just stopped.”
It’s still not too late to celebrate Marilyn’s birthday, and on June 21, Pop International Galleries in New York launches an exhibit in her honour, curated by Andrew Weiss and featuring hand-signed photos by William Carroll, Laszlo Willinger, Bert Stern and George Barris.
Something for Australian fans to get excited about: throughout June, the Trevor Victor Harvey Gallery in Sydney is holding an exhibition of rare Marilyn photographs by Bert Stern, George Barris, William Carroll, Laszlo Willinger, Kashio Aoki, and others – and they’re for sale, too.