01 Painting, PORTRAIT OF A LADY, with Footnotes. #73

MILTON GREENE (American, 1922-1985)

Marilyn Monroe, from the 'Hooker' Sitting, Los Angeles, 1956

Dye-transfer

13-3/8 x 13-5/8 inches (34.0 x 34.7 cm)

Private collection

Marilyn Monroe, original name Norma Jeane Mortenson, later called Norma Jeane Baker, Jeane sometimes spelled Jean, (born June 1, 1926, Los Angeles, California, U.S.—died August 5, 1962, Los Angeles), American actress who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s.

Her mother was frequently confined in an asylum, and Norma Jeane was reared by 12 successive sets of foster parents and, for a time, in an orphanage. In 1942 she married a fellow worker in an aircraft factory, but they divorced soon after World War II. She became a popular photographer’s model and in 1946 signed a short-term contract with Twentieth Century-Fox, taking as her screen name Marilyn Monroe. After a few brief appearances in movies made by the Fox and Columbia studios, she was again unemployed, and she returned to modeling for photographers. 

In 1950 Monroe played a small uncredited role in The Asphalt Jungle that reaped a mountain of fan mail. An appearance in All About Eve (1950) won her another contract from Fox and much recognition. She advanced to star billing on the strength of her studio-fostered image as a “love goddess.” In 1954 she married baseball star Joe DiMaggio.

Monroe studied with Lee Strasberg at the Actors’ Studio in New York City, and began to emerge as a talented comedian. In 1956 she married playwright Arthur Miller and briefly retired from moviemaking. She won critical acclaim for the first time as a serious actress for Some Like It Hot (1959). Her last role, in The Misfits (1961), was written by Miller, whom she had divorced the year before.

In 1962 Monroe began filming the comedy Something’s Got to Give. However, she was frequently absent from the set because of illnesses In June Monroe was fired from the film. Although she was later rehired, work never resumed. After several months as a virtual recluse, Monroe died from an overdose of sleeping pills in her Los Angeles home. Her death was ruled a “probable suicide,” though conspiracy theories persisted. More on Marilyn Monroe

Milton Greene was born in New York City in 1922. As one of the most celebrated photographers of the past century he began his artistic career at the early age of fourteen. He received a scholarship to Pratt Institute, but he decided to follow his passion for photography instead. Although he was the chosen photographer of Marilyn Monroe, developing repute for celebrity portraiture, Greene began his career in fashion photography. he quickly immersed himself in the art world, assisting various photojournalists and honing his knowledge and creative skillset. By the age of twenty-three, Greene was known as “Color Photography’s Wonder Boy.” 

It was his amiable nature that influenced his mastery of celebrity portraiture, as he had a talent for directing his subjects in a way that evoked their specific qualities and characteristics, enabling him to perfectly capture their natural personas. Consequently, he developed close relationships with his subjects, most famous for which is his friendship with Marilyn Monroe. Greene and Monroe formed their own company in 1956, the Marilyn Monroe Productions, with which they produced The Prince and the Showgirl and Bus Stop. Greene took innumerable photo sessions with her, one of his most famous being the Black Sitting, capturing Monroe unlike any other artist, showing her truly legendary spirt. They held such an endearing friendship that Monroe entrusted Greene with her biography, entitled My Story.

Greene’s artistic career as a most-loved photographer gained him several honors and awards for his work, including ones from the Art Director’s Club of New York and the American Institute of Graphic Arts. Milton Greene passed away in 1985. More on Milton Greene

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