Marilyn Monroe’s Face Kept Changing — But the Camera Always Loved Her

The National Portrait Gallery’s Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait, supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation, examines the evolution and endurance of Monroe’s image across photography, film, and art. Organized around the photographers who shaped her public presence, the exhibition traces her transformation from Norma Jeane to one of the most recognizable figures of the 20th century. Works by Philippe Halsman, Eve Arnold, André de Dienes, Sam Shaw, Alfred Eisenstaedt, and others reveal how different collaborators captured Monroe’s vulnerability, intelligence, glamour, and self-awareness. The exhibition also considers Monroe’s own role in shaping her image, including her careful selection and editing of photographs. Later works by artists such as Andy Warhol, Pauline Boty, Marlene Dumas, and Peter Blake show how Monroe’s image continued to acquire meaning after her death. Read the article here.