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#HistoryPeachy #CulturedPeachy @NYHistory The New York Historical Spotlights Marilyn Monroe’s Agency and Power Through the Lens of Lawrence Schiller in Marilyn Monroe Centennial: Photographs by Lawrence Schiller On view November 20, 2026 – March 28, 2027
One hundred years later and America still can’t get enough of Marilyn Monroe. In honor of the centennial anniversary of the year she was born in 1926, The New York Historical presents a new exhibition on her life, career, and her lesser-known attempts to wrestle control of her legacy. On display from November 20, 2026 – March 28, 2027 in the Jean Margo Reid Center for Women’s History, Marilyn Monroe Centennial: Photographs by Lawrence Schiller juxtaposes the legendary star’s on-camera and off-camera persona with images taken by photojournalist Lawrence Schiller on two film sets: Let’s Make Love in 1960 and Monroe’s last and unfinished film Something’s Got to Give in 1962. This is followed by a play-by-play of the career milestones and wider film history that led to her becoming a cultural phenomenon. Monroe’s media intelligence and architecting of her image is further explored through her relationship with Life magazine, which draws from The Historical’s extensive Time Inc Archive.
“Marilyn Monroe remains the definition of an icon, a sparkling presence on screen and a powerful storyteller in her own right who fought against the forces of her time,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO, The New York Historical. “While it’s true that Marilyn Monroe experienced great adversity and exploitation in her time, she also displayed remarkable resilience, sharp instincts, and physical mastery to ensure the camera captured her to her best advantage. This exhibition attempts to showcase that agency through Lawrence Schiller’s exceptional photography, enlightening personal stories, and archival analysis drawn from our extensive collections.”
“Marilyn had shown me what other photographers who had shot her knew,” said Lawrence Schiller, “that when she turned herself on to the camera, the photographer didn’t have to be more than a mechanic; it was almost as if she were both the shooter and the subject.”
During Monroe’s lifetime and over the subsequent decades, her likeness has been reproduced countless times. Through Schiller’s striking photographs—36 of which are on view—and his recollections, the Marilyn Monroe Centennial spotlights how Monroe sought to control her career and her public perception as a celebrity.
On assignment in Los Angeles for Look and Paris Match magazines, a young Lawrence Schiller found in Monroe not a subject, but a savvy collaborator. Keenly aware of the power of imagery, Monroe showed the young photographer how best to capture her. “You’re already famous, now you’re going to make me famous,” Schiller said to Marilyn in 1962 as he and Monroe discussed the photos he was about to take of her on the set of Something’s Got to Give. “Don’t be so cocky,” Monroe replied, “photographers can be easily replaced.”
On display are a series of photographs Schiller took during production of the unreleased film Something’s Got to Give, in which, on a closed set, Monroe spontaneously decided to remove the light nude-colored bikini bottoms she had been given and resurface naked. The images of Monroe from the pool scene appeared on magazine covers in over 30 countries, including on the cover of Life magazine. Additional photographs by Schiller on display offer a rare window onto several themes that marked Monroe’s 16-year, 30-film career in Hollywood: her struggles to be recognized as a serious actor; her relationship with acting coaches Lee and Paula Strasberg (seen on set with Monroe at a time when Paula was likely Blacklisted in Hollywood); and her attempts to seize control of her power and become one of the first women in Hollywood to establish her own production company—in defiance of the studio system.
Schiller also saw Monroe on the morning of August 4, 1962, the day she died at the age of 36. They had discussed an up-and-coming photo session. Her funeral took place on August 8, 1962, at the Westwood Village Mortuary Chapel in Los Angeles. The commemorative issue of Life published shortly after her death is on view later in the exhibition—featuring one of Schiller’s photographs on its cover.
Schiller’s work is accompanied by the wider context of how Monroe built her career, illustrated with ephemera and print magazines drawn from the extensive collections of The Historical’s Patricia D. Klingenstein Library. From her modeling career through key movie roles, these materials paint Monroe as a dedicated actor who by 1960 was not only an international star but also an acclaimed professional, winning a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Leading Role – Musical or Comedy for her performance in Some Like It Hot. Film clips, a contact sheet from Let’s Make Love marked up with Monroe’s final approval, the well-known publicity photo from Niagara that inspired Andy Warhol’s “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” painting, and more are on display.
This section also highlights key anecdotes that showcase her vision and autonomy. The pool scene wasn’t the first time she stood proudly in her own skin and generated her own headlines; in 1952, news of her posing nude for a calendar when she was younger started spreading. Rather than follow the studio’s advice of denying it, media-savvy Monroe changed the narrative entirely. Instead, she arranged a staged interview and admitted to the calendar shoot, boldly asserting: “...I’m not ashamed of it. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
A selection of iconic photographs taken of her in New York City further illustrate her power and initiative. Monroe had a unique relationship with New York, and, seeking a break from the limited roles Hollywood had offered her, she came to the city in 1954 hoping to reclaim creative control over her career and further develop her acting skills. The exhibition also features the invitation and program for the 1962 Democratic Party fundraiser at Madison Square Garden where Monroe famously sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy.
The Historical’s companion installation explores Monroe’s legacy and how it was shaped by the media. While she was alive, Life magazine reported not only on her professional career, but also on her private life, blurring the lines between the person and her public persona. From her third marriage to Arthur Miller to the last interview she ever did, recorded two days before her passing, with Richard Meryman—Monroe remained a fixture in the magazine’s Hollywood reporting. Visitors can listen to audio clips from this interview, in which she candidly discussed her life, marriages, career, and, most centrally, her experience of fame. This style of reportage created a new playbook for celebrity profiling still used today.
The New York Historical celebrates her 100th birthday with the opening of this one-of-a-kind exhibition on November 20, 2026 in the Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery.
This exhibition is organized by Susan Bloom. At The New York Historical, it is curated by Dr. Keren Ben-Horin, Associate Curator of Public History and Dr. Isabelle Held, Mellon Foundation Gender and LGBTQ+ History Postdoctoral Fellow, Jean Margo Reid Center for Women’s History.
Programs
Programs related to Marilyn Monroe Centennial will be added to the calendar. Private group tours can also be arranged throughout the exhibition.
Support
Support for Marilyn Monroe Centennial: Photographs by Lawrence Schiller is provided by Helen and Kenneth A. Cowin. Exhibitions in the Joyce B. Cowin Women's History Gallery are made possible by Joyce B. Cowin and The New York Historical's Women's History Council.
Exhibitions at The New York Historical are made possible by the Saunders Trust for American History, the Evelyn & Seymour Neuman Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. WNET is the media sponsor.
About The New York Historical
New York’s first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution covering over 400 years of American history. Our offerings span groundbreaking exhibitions; peerless collections of art, documents, and artifacts; acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students nationwide; and thought-provoking conversations among leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past, present, and future of the American experiment. The New York Historical is a museum of museums and a collection of collections. We are home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women’s History, the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. We elevate the perspectives and scholarship that define the United States’ democratic heritage and challenge us all to shape our ongoing history for the better. Connect with us at nyhistory.org
