Today, I heard about a Marilyn-related gallery show this week, and I’ve never written about Monroe before, so this seemed like the right thing for today. From July 9 through September 22, 2019, the Galerie Joseph in Paris is showing a photo series of Marilyn Monroe. Featuring 200 original photographs and documents, many never seen before, the show traces the astonishing rise of the Hollywood icon, giving gallery goers an intimate glimpse into the star’s private moments.
Like many people, for as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by Marilyn’s intoxicating combination of fragility, vulnerability, talent, and undeniable beauty. Though I can appreciate her more iconic glamour photos, I am always most drawn to the less polished, more candid pictures where she seems so approachable and relatable and so very lonely. Something about her brings out the big sister in me.
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.“
-Marilyn Monroe
If like me, you will not be getting to Paris in time to see the show, the French Vogue website has a small selection of the items included in the exhibition. Since I couldn’t find those items on Instagram, I thought I’d instead compile a selection of Marilyn photos which most spoke to me.
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July 17, 2019 at 6:18 am
Fabulous photos of a true beauty
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July 17, 2019 at 7:43 am
Such a sad ,sad life.
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July 18, 2019 at 12:38 am
That’s true, but she brought so much joy to so many, she still does, in fact. That has to count for something.
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July 17, 2019 at 11:25 am
This is a wonderful selection of portraits. She was such a natural beauty and exuded charm and vulnerability and I think these photos capture that. I think she was also a very underrated actress, especially as a comedian. I think her brains and wit may have been written off because of her beauty. I agree with you that every time I see images of her, especially still images, she looks like she desperately needs a genuine friend and a warm hug.
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July 18, 2019 at 12:39 am
I wish I could go back in time and fix her. How’s that for irrational?
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July 18, 2019 at 6:09 am
I get it. In line with the time machine idea, I often find myself wondering if someone’s life would have taken a different tack had they been born in a different era.
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July 18, 2019 at 6:20 am
I wonder that about Matthew Shepherd and all the other poor gay boys and girls who didn’t make it.
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July 18, 2019 at 6:54 am
Yes. Absolutely. I actually think that about LGBTQ+ kids living in these times but in intolerant contexts, including within this country. I’ve had dreams about a modern Underground Railroad.
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July 18, 2019 at 8:54 am
That’s certainly true about many parts of the world.
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July 18, 2019 at 6:47 am
On a side note, I love the story of Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald’s friendship, especially when Monroe persuaded the owner of the Mocambo club to book Fitzgerald for two weeks promising to sit in the front row of every show – and she did.
https://www.biography.com/news/marilyn-monroe-ella-fitzgerald-friendship
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July 18, 2019 at 8:54 am
She really was very sweet. The poor thing just made terrible choices. I wonder who she would have been if she’d grown up later. It certainly didn’t help Anna Nicole Smith.
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