Marilyn Monroe at 100: Global Exhibitions and Cultural Reckoning
On June 1, 2026, Marilyn Monroe would have celebrated her 100th birthday. In honor of this milestone, the National Portrait Gallery in London will unveil 'Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait' on June 4, showcasing pieces by Andy Warhol, Cecil Beaton, and Richard Avedon. Meanwhile, the Academy Museum in Los Angeles will display posters, photographs, letters, and costumes, and the Cinémathèque Française in Paris will present a film retrospective until June 12. Born Norma Jeane Mortenson in 1926, Monroe became the most photographed woman after signing her initial film contract in 1946. She was married to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, famously sang 'Happy Birthday' to President Kennedy, and passed away at 36 due to a drug overdose. Cultural critiques include Joyce Carol Oates's 'Blonde,' Warhol's 'Marilyn' series, and discussions of Seward Johnson's sculpture and Andrew Dominik's film 'Blonde.'
Key facts
- Marilyn Monroe would have turned 100 on June 1, 2026.
- National Portrait Gallery London opens 'Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait' on June 4, 2026.
- Academy Museum Los Angeles presents Monroe exhibition with hundreds of items.
- Cinémathèque Française Paris runs Monroe film retrospective through June 12, 2026.
- Monroe's films grossed over $200 million.
- Warhol's 'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn' sold for $195 million at Christie's in May 2022.
- Monroe's 'Happy Birthday' gown sold for $4.8 million to Ripley's Believe It or Not in 2016.
- Kim Kardashian wore Monroe's gown to the 2022 Met Gala, causing damage.
Entities
Artists
- Marilyn Monroe
- Andy Warhol
- Cecil Beaton
- Richard Avedon
- Joyce Carol Oates
- Gloria Steinem
- George Barris
- Billy Wilder
- Tony Curtis
- Jack Lemmon
- Seward Johnson
- Andrew Dominik
- Ana de Armas
- Kim Kardashian
- Howard Hawks
- Jane Russell
- Hugh Hefner
- Tom Kelley
- Joe DiMaggio
- Arthur Miller
- John F. Kennedy
- Christopher Knight
- Robert Hughes
- Louis Grachos
- Margot Henriksen
- Maureen Lee Lenker
- Dorothy Podber
- Norma Jeane Mortenson
- Eve Arnold
- Alfred Eisenstaedt
- Milton Greene
- Sam Shaw
- Inge Morath
- Pauline Boty
- James Gill
- Rosalyn Drexler
- Audrey Flack
- Allan Grant
- André De Dienes
- Bruno Bernard
- Marlene Dumas
- Truman Capote
- Rosie Broadley
- Philippe Halsman
- André de Dienes
- Richard Meryman
- Joseph Cornell
- Norma Jeane
- Milton H. Greene
- Lena Dunham
- Sarah Churchwell
- Griselda Pollock
- Victoria Siddall
Institutions
- National Portrait Gallery London
- Academy Museum Los Angeles
- Cinémathèque Française
- Christie's
- Ripley's Believe It or Not
- Netflix
- SXSW
- Soul Machines
- Authentic Brands Group
- Playboy
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Henry Holt & Company
- Whitney Museum of American Art
- Palm Springs Art Museum
- Seward Johnson Atelier
- American Film Institute
- National Film Registry
- Marilyn Monroe Clothing Preservation Committee
- Women's March Action
- Entertainment Weekly
- CULTURED
- National Portrait Gallery
- MHG Collective, LLC
- MUUS Collection
- Life
- Bernard of Hollywood Foundation
- The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
- DACS
- National Gallery of Art, Washington
- BFI Southbank
- Life magazine
- Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts
- Wolverhampton Art Gallery
- Art Fund
- Friends of Wolverhampton Arts and Heritage
- The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts
- National Gallery of Art
- Marilyn Monroe estate
- Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Paris
- France
- Chicago
- Palm Springs
- Sarasota
- Madison Square Garden
- New York
- Westwood Village Memorial Park
- U.K.
- Brentwood
- Mount Sinai, Long Island
- Santa Monica
- Washington