Image: Marilyn Monroe™; Rights of Publicity and Persona Rights are used with permission of The Estate of Marilyn Monroe LLC. Photo by Sam Shaw © 2026 Shaw Family Archives.
The National Portrait Gallery in London is making a final call for visitors to see ‘Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait’, an exhibition examining the Hollywood icon’s life, legacy and carefully constructed public image. The exhibition remains on view until 6 September 2026 at the Gallery’s St Martin’s Place location.
The presentation brings together work by Andy Warhol, Pauline Boty, Marlene Dumas, Rosalyn Drexler and Audrey Flack, alongside photographs by more than 20 photographers described by the Gallery as era-defining. Together, the works place Monroe within a broader history of portraiture and popular imagery rather than treating her image solely as a product of Hollywood publicity.
At the centre of the exhibition’s interpretation is Monroe’s collaborative approach to constructing her own image. The Gallery’s description foregrounds her role in shaping how she was seen, directing attention to the relationship between the subject, the photographer and the wider culture that helped turn her likeness into an enduring visual symbol.
The exhibition’s supporting imagery identifies Sam Shaw’s ‘Marilyn Monroe, Roxbury, Connecticut, 1957’ and André de Dienes’s ‘Joy (Marilyn Monroe), near Malibu, California, 1946’. The newsletter does not state that these two photographs represent the full photographic scope of the exhibition, but credits them as featured images for its promotional material.
The National Portrait Gallery’s final-chance communication also promotes related digital content, including visits and responses from drag queen Marmalade and makeup artist Lisa Eldridge, as well as a curator’s exploration of Pauline Boty’s painting and Victoria Siddall’s selection of a favourite Monroe photograph. These features are presented as accompanying stories rather than separate exhibitions.
A related programme, ‘The art of Champagne: exhibition tour & tasting’, is scheduled for 6 September from 09.50 to 12.00. The event combines an exhibition tour with a Champagne tasting at The Portrait Restaurant, celebrating Monroe’s connection to Piper-Heidsieck Champagne. The Gallery is also advertising a separate ‘Pop, pour and portrait’ guided workshop, in which participants create a pop-art portrait of Monroe before visiting the exhibition. ‘Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait’ closes on 6 September 2026.
