The National Portrait Gallery's new exhibition, Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait, marks what would have been the star's 100th birthday. Despite initial reservations about anniversary shows and celebrity portrait exhibitions, the display captivates through Monroe's own undeniable presence. Beginning with a self-portrait of Norma Jeane Baker as a mousey-haired teenager in 1940, the exhibition traces her transformation into the glamorous film icon.
Throughout the photographs, paintings, and film excerpts, Monroe's command of the camera is unmistakable. Renowned photographers like Richard Avedon, Milton Greene, and Cecil Beaton attempted to capture her image, but Monroe consistently maintained control over her styling and poses. The show emphasises her agency in self-creation rather than seeking a 'real' Marilyn behind the pictures.
The exhibition also explores photographic experimentation, from Philippe Halsman's surrealist collages to Weegee's curved lens techniques. André de Dienes's portraits, altered after Monroe's death at 36, evoke a deep melancholy. Paintings by Pauline Boty and Andy Warhol illustrate how Monroe became a symbol of midcentury America, while a Nan Goldin photograph features her image in the background.
Notable moments include Magnum's exclusive documentation of The Misfits, a breakthrough for photographers Eve Arnold and Inge Morath. The infamous nude photograph, taken before Monroe's fame for $50 and later used by Hugh Hefner in Playboy, is also displayed. However, as the show progresses, the relentless cheerfulness becomes overwhelming, and the smiles feel increasingly fake without deeper exploration of her fragility.
The exhibition concludes with a poignant contrast: George Barris's last portrait of Monroe on Santa Monica beach, showing her slightly less perfect and more raw, followed by Peter Blake's collage incorporating a paparazzi image of her body bag being carried from her home in August 1962. This juxtaposition of absolute aliveness and piercing finality leaves a lasting impression.
