STERN BERT (1929 ) Marilyn Monroe (from The Last Sitting)

Sale 2248 - Lot 320

Unsold

Estimate: $ 14,000 - $ 18,000

STERN, BERT (1929- )
Marilyn Monroe (from "The Last Sitting"). Unique enlarged Fuji Crystal Archive print contact sheet, image size 36x34 inches (91.4x86.4 cm.), sheet size 42 inches (106.7 cm.) square, flush mounted to acid-free museum board, with 2 exhibition labels on mount verso, one with Stern's signature, in ink. 1962; printed 1979

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Legendary photographer Bert Stern has successfully worked in the fashion and advertising worlds, creating numerous award-winning ads, magazine covers, films and portraits. Stern's keen sense of graphic imagery, such as his iconic inverted Egyptian pyramid in a martini glass for a Smirnoff vodka campaign, resulted in his meteoric rise as a commercial photographer.

But Stern's most recognizable series are his studies of Marilyn Monroe, which were shot at the Hotel Bel-Air, six weeks before her tragic death, for Vogue magazine. This extended photo shoot lasted three days and consisted of more than 2,500 shots. Stern presented Monroe with the contact sheets, and she herself drew an large red 'X' over the images she did not like.

Stern was known for his extraordinary rapport with his subjects, and his pictures of the troubled star convey intimacy, vulnerability, and grace. After Marilyn's death, the editors of Vogue honored her by naming the story "The Last Sitting."

From the Collection of Irving Rubin.
This photograph was shown in an exhibition titled "Marilyn 62: Bert Stern/Photographs" at the Boris Gallery of Photography, Boston from December 18, 1979 to January 25, 1980.