Marilyn Monroe - she just watnted to be loved
She had it all. She was the superstar who outshone everyone else. She was insecure and suffered greatly from an inferiority complex, which may have ultimately been one of the reasons for her alleged suicide in 1962. Still, she became a stylish and beloved actress, earning high praise for her roles in films such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and The Sweet Itch (1955). And she created a whole new ideal of womanhood that was both innovative and daring in the 1950s with its sex appeal and wit.
That's why she was loved by both women and men. And she still is. There's hardly anyone - young or old - who doesn't know who Marilyn Monroe was. Her movies are still shown. Although nowadays it's usually via various streaming services. She has been immortalized by great artists such as Andy Warhol, who created the famous silkscreen prints of her portrait in the late 1960s.
A series of images, one in particular, was sold in 2022 for the staggering sum of 195 million dollars. The many photographs of Marilyn Monroe still evoke strong emotions today. In 2019, a beautiful book was published that tells part of her story in 368 pages. It is by the photographer Milton H. Greene, who had regular photo sessions with the superstar for several years from 1953 onwards.
Lifelong friendship
Milton H. Greene (1922-1985) was a famous fashion photographer who also portrayed many celebrities from Hollywood's Golden Age. He met Marilyn Monroe at a photo shoot for Look magazine in 1953. They quickly became close friends and eventually business partners. In 1954, after helping her get out of her studio contract with 20th Century Fox, they created Marilyn Monroe Productions, Inc.
Milton and Marilyn were much more than business partners. Marilyn became part of the Greene family. By the time their friendship ended in 1957, the pair had produced two feature films and more than 5,000 photographs of the iconic beauty.
There was magic in Milton and Marilyn's working relationship. And a trust that was evident in every image. Greene died in 1985, believing his life's work was succumbing to the ravages of time. His eldest son, Joshua, began a journey to meticulously restore his father's legacy. A photographer himself, Joshua spent years restoring his father's photographs and cataloging and promoting Milton's vast body of work around the world. The result of nearly two decades of restoring his father's images was published in 2019 under the title The Essential Marilyn Monroe: Milton H. Greene, 50 Sessions. With 280 photographs, including newly scanned and restored classics as well as once-in-a-lifetime images, Greene's Marilyn Monroe archive finally came into the public eye. Milton H. Greene's images cover a period in Marilyn Monroe's life when she was at the peak of her career. Joshua Greene has curated his father's images as a lasting tribute to an amazing photographer and his work of his greatest muse. Poignant and powerful, joyful and breathtaking images of an icon that may never be surpassed.