Forever Marilyn

Palm Springs Art Museum

2021

It's a wrap!  Forever Maryilyn is at its new forever location! 

Forever Marilyn is a giant statue of Marilyn Monroe designed by John Seward Johnson II. The statue is a super-sized tribute to one of Marilyn Monroe's most famous scenes from Billy Wilder's 1955 comedy, The Seven Year Itch with the figure capturing the instant blast of air from a NYC subway grate raises her white dress.  The 26-foot-tall Marilyn weighs 30,000 pounds and is manufactured of painted stainless steel and aluminium. Created in 2011, the statue has been displayed in a variety of locations in the United states and in Australia. The statue is made up of five parts:  her legs, her arms, her torso, her skirt and parts of a base.  Forever Marilyn has been displayed in several locations: Chicago, Illinois in 2011 and 2012; Hamilton, New Jersey in 2014 and 2015; Bendigo, Australia in 2016; Stamford, Connecticut in 2018 and Palm Springs, California in 2012 and again since 2021.  The statue is owned by PS Resorts.

The Famous Scene

from

The Seven Year Itch 

Circa 1955

Marilyn Monroe was 29 years of age when she made the film.

"The Subway Dress"

Auctions for $5.6 million!

Marilyn Monroe's ivory "subway dress", the costume that contributed heavily to Americia's love affair with the iconic beauty, sold for $5.6 million at an auction in Beverly Hills in 2011.  The Travilla* halter dress with accordion pleats, which Monroe wore in the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch, remains one of the most recognizable dresses in film history. The scene was generating buzz before it was even shot.  Details about the filming were revealed to the public.  By the time the publicity stunt/film shoot occurred on 52nd Street and Lexington Avenue, thousands of men were present to catch a glimpse of Monroe, but being Monroe she kept it classy.

*William Travilla (1920-1990) was an American costume designer for theatre, film and television.  He is best known for designing costumes for Marilyn Monroe in eight of her films.

The 12-hour auction sold nearly 60 costumes belonging to actress and collector Debbie Reynolds.  Other notable bids included Monroe's red-sequined dress from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes which sold for $1.2 million.  Audrey Hepburn's Ascot dresss from My FairLady sold for $3.7 million.

In 1999, the sheer flesh-colored dress Monroe wore when she breathlessly sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy was sold for a hefty $1.26 million which was the highest price tag for a Monroe dress.

The dress sold in 1999 at an auction in New York City for over $1.6 million (equivalent to $2.17 million in 2023).  Canadian billionaire, Jim Pattison subsequently purchased the dress on November 17, 2016 at a Los Angeles auction for $4.8 million, making this iconic dresses one of the most valuable dresses in history! 

 

In Chicago, it was displayed at Pioneer Court which is part of the Magnificent Mile.  In Palm Springs it was displayed at the corner of Palm Canyon Drive and Tahquitz Canyon Way.  It was given a farewell sendoff during the Palm  Springs Village Fest on March 27, 2014 and was relocated to the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jerey as part of a 2014 retrospective honoring sculptor, Seward Johnson. 

In 2016, the larger-than-life depiction of Monroe statue traveled to Rosalind Park in  Australia for the Bendigo Art Gallery's Marilyn Monroe exhibition.  In 2018, the statue was displayed at Latham Park in Connecticut as part of a large public art exhibition, again, honoring the works of Johnson.  Thirty-six sculptures were placed throughout the streets and parks in Stamford with Forever Marilyn being the highlight of the exhibit.  The statue sparked controversy when it was placed in Stamford with complaints arising due to her appearing to flash her underwear at the nearby First Congregational Church.

In September 2019, Mayor Robert Moon of Palm Springs announced the statue's return to Palm Springs as a permanent fixture after being stored in a dismantled state in New Jersey.  The artist, Seward Johnson (1930-2020) was an American artist and was the grandson of Robert Wood Johnson, the co-founder of Johnson and Johnson. 

Johnson created Forever Marilyn for his celebrated ICONS REVISITED series which explores images that have grown larger than life as time passes. In life, Monroe was about 5-foot, 6 inches.  In the many years since her passing, Monroe has only grown in stature wielding a larger-than-life presence in pop culture and serving as a muse or inspiration for numerous artists over the decades. 

If Marilyn Monroe lived her life like a candle in the wind, Marilyn Monroe is standing tall in the afterlife.  Very tall.

Her unique patina involves 10 layers of hues with a matte finish (except for the glossy elements of her lips, toe nails and the pearlized finish on the earrings).

Although Forever Marilyn has traveled the world, there is perhaps no better location for this work than Palm Springs.  Marilyn Monroe's connection to Palm Springs is legendary.  In 1949, at age 22, Marilyn was "discovered" in Palm Springs by William Morris talent agent, Johnny Hyde.  Many famous photos of Marilyn were taken around the Racquet Club's swimming pool.  In the 1950s, she was a regular visitor to Palm Springs with her second husband, basebell great Joe DiMaggio and by the 1960s she had a home in the  Vista Las Palmas neighborhood.  Marilyn Monroe loved Palm Springs and the exhibit of Forever Marilyn is a true homecoming!

In 2024, the statue welcomed more than 996,033 visitors!

Welcome Home, Marilyn!

and 

Thank You, Seward Johnson

Goodbye Norma Jean

Though I never knew you at all

You had the grace to hold yourself

And it seems to me you lived your life

Like a candle in the wind

Never knowing who to cling to

When the rain set in

And I would've liked to known you 

But I was just a kid

Your candle burned out long before

Your legend ever did