WHAT? Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait

WHERE? The National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE

WHEN? Now until 6th September

WHY GO? For a snapshot of a screen goddess. What's in a name? A whole lot when it comes to one of the most photographed women on the planet, Marilyn Monroe. Even one hundred years after her birth, no one really knew the shy teenager who grew up in foster homes and orphanages and became the world-famous 'blonde bombshell' who read Dostoevsky.

This dazzling exhibition explores how Norma Jeane was transformed into an adored screen goddess. It reveals images that have not been shown before, anecdotes from people who worked with her, clips from her starring roles in films immortalised in cinematic history along with scripts, books and early screen tests.

The Portrait Gallery have the kudos to dig deep and access reels of rare film from some of the world's most renowned photographers like Gordon Parks, Milton Greene, Richard Avedon, Cecil Beaton, Alfred Eisenstaedt and most pertinently Eve Arnold, the woman photographer she confided in and with whom she most closely bonded.

Everyone offers their perspective into her life, character, beauty and sadly, her untimely death at the age of only 36.

Almost everyone, in hindsight, agrees that Monroe was an enigma and undoubtedly manipulated, yet they all took their photographs.

She knew how to construct an image before the camera and her celebrity lives on with a whole new batch of books, documentaries and of course, that iconic Andy Warhol image.

IN THE KNOW What about that famous gold dress Marilyn wore in 1962 when she sang Happy Birthday to President Kennedy? It was sold in 2016 to the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum chain and loaned to Kim Kardashian for the Met Gala in 2022 when sadly and controversially it was permanently damaged. It all adds extra drama to the most expensive personal dress ever sold at auction: what would Marilyn have said?