Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait
The show concentrated on how Marilyn and others used images of her and gave her more agency than you usually see her credited for. At the core it looked at the photographers she worked with, their relationships and how the images were used. I loved the way the displays didn't just pick the one famous image from a shoot but a number to show why the one that was used was chosen plus to build more of a story of the event. I also liked the way they often showed an original photograph with the magazine cover it was used for.
In response to this it also looked at how artists have represented her both in her lifetime and since. Of course, there were Andy Warhol's but it was good to see a number of Pauline Boty works as well as others by British Pop Artists.
The show outlined her life story via the images and included a few artefacts such as a dress from "The Prince and the Showgirl" and her make-up.
Standout images included the famous nude shot from before she became famous but shown on one of the original calendars for which they taken, a series from the shoot for the "Seven Year Itch" where her skirt blew up and a moving one of children on a beach reading a newspaper with a headline about her death.
Closes 6 September 2026
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