The American Museum in Britain will present Marilyn – Hollywood Icon 12 March – 31 October 2011.
The life lived by Marilyn Monroe is a tale of triumph and tragedy. Marilyn – Hollywood Icon is a celebration of the enduring legacy of the fabulous blonde who gentlemen (and the rest of us) continue to prefer above all others. Unlike other ‘Marilyn’ exhibitions of recent years, the American Museum’s 50th anniversary extravaganza will be packed full of costumes actually worn by Monroe. The twenty costumes on display are not replicas but the real thing – just like the lady herself. These include:
· The pink ‘wiggle’ dress from Niagara (1952) – Marilyn’s first major
· role that established her ‘blonde bombshell’ image.
· The red sequined gown she wore in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
· (1953), pictured left.
· The green show costume Marilyn wore in Bus Stop (1956) – a
· performance which won her a Golden Globe.
· The iconic cocktail dress from Some Like It Hot (1959) in which
· Marilyn crooned ‘I’m Through With Love’.
· The bikini she wore in The Misfits (1961), her last completed film.
Personal items owned by Monroe will also be exhibited here for the first time in the UK. Poignantly, these include the silver ring given to the star by her disturbed mother, Gladys, who spent most of her life in metal institutions – as did Marilyn’s grandparents.
All of the costumes and objects on display at the American Museum are part of the David Gainsborough Roberts Collection, an extraordinary gathering of celebrity memorabilia created during the past twenty years.
Image: © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis. Marilyn Monroe on the set of Gentleman Prefer Blondes, 1953.
The American Museum in Britain
Claverton Manor
Bath BA2 7BD
T: + 44 (0) 1225 460503
F: + 44 (0) 1225 469160
E: [email protected]
www.americanmuseum.org