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Marilyn

Artist Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)

CultureAmerican

Date1967

MediumScreenprint

Dimensions36 x 36 in. (91.4 x 91.4 cm)
Overall, Frame: 44 7/16 x 43 7/16 x 2 3/4 in. (112.9 x 110.3 x 7 cm)

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number71.2170

Collections

Modern and Contemporary

Not on view

DescriptionMarilyn Monroe against a pink background.

Label TextAndy Warhol American, 1928-1987 Marilyn, 1967 Screen print Andy Warhol’s preoccupation with Hollywood film goddesses manifested itself most famously in his iconic portraits of Marilyn Monroe, which he began only weeks after her tragic death in August 1962. Warhol based his famous portrait of the actress on publicity stills from the 1953 film Niagara, in which she was cast as a sultry femme fatale. Using the photo as his point of departure, he devised a superheated portrait—this one in torrid pink and passionate purple. He present’s Monroe’s face as an alluring yet timeless mask of sexual longing and desire, as though she were the contemporary equivalent of Venus, the mythic Roman goddess of love. The image is both real and unreal because it uses an accurate representation of Monroe with unnatural color combinations. It suggests how celebrities often “wear” different faces, one for the public and others for private settings. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.2170 Exhibition History"The Portrait in America," The Alice R. and Sol B. Frank Photography Galleries, The Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, Jan. 26 - April 8, 1990. "Venus and Adonis: Aspects of the Figurative Ideal in 19th- and 20th-Century Art," The Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, July 13 - November 3, 1996. "Behind the Seen: The Chrysler's Hidden Museum," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., October 21, 2005 - February 19, 2006. "Deeply Superficial: Andy Warhol's Voyeurism," Muscarelle Museum of Art, Williamsburg, Va., November 7, 2009 - January 31, 2010. "Remix: A Fresh Look At Our Modern And Contemporary Art Collections," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia, November 2, 2011 - March 17, 2012. "Aspects of the Self: Portraits of Our Times," Virginia Tech Center for the Arts, Blacksburg, VA, March 21 - April 27, 2014. "By Popular Demand: Your Selections, Your Gallery," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, May 10 - August 31, 2014. "Andy Warhol: Icons," Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, May 20 - September 18, 2016.Published ReferencesBrooks Johnson. _The Portrait in America_. The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA. 1990: pp. 10, 68. Frayda Feldman and Jörg Schellman, eds., _Andy Warhol Prints: A Catalogue Raisonné_, (New York: Abbeville Press, 1989), 42.