Forever Marilyn

Behind every iconic image of Marilyn Monroe stood a photographer, a relationship, and a moment in time. Celebrating what would have been the 100th birthday of Marilyn Monroe, this exhibition turns attention toward the photographers who contributed to shaping her image and legacy.

Rather than focusing on Marilyn Monroe’s public persona, this digital exhibition explores the artistic collaborations and personal connections behind some of her most recognisable photographs. Through their distinct artistic approaches and personal relationships with Monroe, André de Dienes, Bob Willoughby, and Willy Rizzo, each captured her at different stages of her life and career, revealing a woman who continuously evolved beyond the fixed image of the Hollywood icon.

André de Dienes

Hungarian-American photographer André de Dienes was known for his atmospheric and emotionally intimate portraits, often set within natural landscapes. One of the earliest photographers to recognise Marilyn Monroe’s extraordinary presence, de Dienes began photographing her as early as 1946, long before she became a Hollywood icon.

“I never photographed Marilyn as a star. I photographed Norma Jeane becoming Marilyn.”

- André de Dienes reflecting on the their relationship years later

After first hiring Norma Jeane as a model in 1945, the two developed a close personal relationship, travelling together across the American West and creating some of the earliest photographs that shaped Monroe’s emerging image, including the iconic Malibu beach photographs taken when she was 20 years old. His photographs capture Monroe before the mythology surrounding her image emerged, preserving a rare sense of openness, spontaneity, and youthful ambition.

Bob Willoughby

As Monroe’s career and public image evolved throughout the 1950s, photographer Bob Willoughby documented her through a distinctly cinematic lens. An American photographer best known for pioneering behind-the-scenes photography in Hollywood, Willoughby gained unprecedented access to actors and film productions after becoming the first “special photographer” commissioned by Warner Bros. studios to document life on and off set.

Photographing Monroe between 1952 and 1960, he captured some of the most defining years of her career, including the now iconic images of Monroe arriving by helicopter at a party thrown in her honour by bandleader Ray Anthony on 3 August 1952. Willoughby’s photographs capture Monroe at the height of her fame while revealing moments of quiet elegance and emotional depth beyond the image of the Hollywood icon.

“Lost in a dream of her own, this wistful vision of Marilyn Monroe comes closer to what I felt was her real personality rather than her Hollywood images as sex goddess. It touches me every time I see it.”

- Bob Willoughby reflecting on the 20th Century Fox set of Let's Make Love, 1960

Willy Rizzo

By the early 1960s, Marilyn Monroe had become one of the most photographed and recognisable women in the world. At the same time, Italian photographer and designer Willy Rizzo had established himself as one of the leading photographers of post-war celebrity culture through his work for the French magazine Paris Match, photographing actors, artists, politicians, and international cultural figures.

Rizzo photographed Monroe in Los Angeles on 10 February 1962 at the estate of novelist Jackie Collins, capturing her only months before her death. Filled with warmth, elegance, and natural charisma, the photographs celebrate Monroe as a woman whose beauty continues to resonate far beyond the image itself.

Together, these photographs capture Marilyn Monroe across different moments of her life, preserving the timeless fascination that continues to surround her image a century after her birth. More than a Hollywood icon, Monroe remains a symbol of beauty, presence, vulnerability, and enduring cultural power.

All photographs in this exhibition are available to purchase. Please contact Elliott Gallery for availability and prices.