Few, if any, Hollywood icons are as synonymous with an era of modern history as Marilyn Monroe and the end of the Golden Age of Hollywood. The blonde bombshell starred in some of the biggest releases of the 1950s, including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot and How to Marry a Millionaire, capturing the hearts of international audiences in the process.
Now, following what would have been her 100th birthday in June 2026, London‘s National Portrait Gallery presents Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait. The exhibition, created in association with the Marilyn Monroe estate, celebrates the life and work of one of the silver screen’s most recognisable faces through portraits.
Despite being born on 1 June 1926, Marilyn Monroe remains a defining presence in popular culture. Some of the most enduring images of Marilyn date back to her pin-up era, when she was known as the young model Norma Jeane, and these images feature alongside photographs by more than 20 era-defining photographers, including Cecil Beaton, Philippe Halsman, Eve Arnold, Alfred Eisenstaedt, and Richard Avedon.
Ahead of the exhibition’s opening on Thursday 4 June, Victoria Siddall, director of the National Portrait Gallery, said, “Marilyn Monroe remains one of the most recognisable people in modern history: a shorthand for glamour, distilled from the films that she appeared in and the wealth of photographs of her, reinforced by the generations of artists she has inspired. We are proud to be staging this exhibition celebrating Marilyn in her centenary year, exploring her extraordinary life and influence as well as her enduring legacy.”
