Marilyn Monroe is perhaps the most photographed personality of the 1950s. Although she is always remembered for singing Happy Birthday to celebrate President John F. Kennedy’s 45th birthday, or holding down her blowing white skirt in the movie “The Seven Year Itch”, the pop culture icon was actually far from the ‘dumb blonde’ she performed. In fact, she is more of a symbol of empowerment and womanhood as she embraced the camera in a way that no celebrity had dared to do before.

The Proud Galleries in London is launching the Up Close with Marilyn: Portraits by Milton H. Greene exhibition soon, showcasing rare photographs of Marilyn Monroe, taken by seasoned American photographer Milton H. Greene. The two met each other in a shoot for Look magazine in 1953, and later became business partners when they formed the company ‘Marilyn Monroe Productions’, which gave Marilyn control and ownership of her career. Milton was also the one who encouraged Marilyn to step away from the ‘dumb blonde’ roles that she had become known for and took a series of photographs which challenged this stereotype.

There were over 5,000 images that Milton taken for Marilyn in 52 different settings, varied from the Californian landscape to film sets and photography studios. A selection from the batch will be featured in the exhibition as large-scale photographic prints, showcasing Marilyn in overwhelming detail, encapsulating the glamour, charisma and unique charm that contributed to her stratospheric success and enduring legacy.

The exhibition will run through May 11 to June 24 2018.

Proud Central
32 John Adam Street
London
WC2N 6BP