We are loving this beautiful sketch created by the very talented Bruno! Titled “Nell”, Marilyn’s character in Don’t Bother to Knock (1952).
Isn’t it gorgeous?!
You can see more of Bruno’s work here!
Not since the Christie’s auction of Marilyn’s estate in 1999 has there been a collection of Marilyn items up for bids quite like the one Julien’s has set for November of this year.
The auction, featuring items from David Gainsborough-Roberts’ incredible and extensive collection of Marilyn’s clothing and personal items, will go on exhibit in England and Ireland before it heads over the ocean to hit the block. The collection includes such famous items as Marilyn’s black sequined cocktail dress worn in Some Like It Hot to sing “I’m Through With Love”, as well as dresses and accessories from most of her other starring roles, including Niagara, There’s No Business Like Show Business, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Bus Stop.
Also included are pieces from Marilyn’s personal wardrobe, such as the Ceil Chapman gown she wore to the premiere of The Rose Tattoo, household items, correspondence, awards, and much more.
Scott Fortner, another expert collector whose items are currently on exhibit at the Bendigo Art Gallery in Australia, will work with Julien’s to authenticate and appraise each of the items.
The auction exhibit will open at the Design Centre in London on May 25th, then move to Ireland’s Museum of Style Icons, and finally The Queen Mary 2 in Southampton, England. It will then move to Los Angeles, where a public exhibit from November 14th-18th will precede the November 19th auction.
Some of the famous costumes in David Gainsborough-Roberts’ collection.
This auction is a huge opportunity for Marilyn fans to see some incredible items and will likely bring in the kind of record-setting numbers Marilyn’s costumes and personal items have seen in the past. If you can’t make it to the exhibit, a catalog will be available from Julien’s in the near future.
Paperback: 528 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury Paperbacks (1 Aug. 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1408831333
ISBN-13: 978-1408831335
Marilyn Monroe is one of the most chronicled women of the modern age. In the fifty years since her death, she has been a muse to the literary set, and the subject of gossipy exposés. Perhaps what resonates most, though, is her radiant image – captured in a handful of classic movies, and thousands of still photos.
Rockhaven Sanatarium is best known to Marilyn fans as the place where Marilyn’s mother, Gladys, lived for many years. Marilyn was able to provide for Gladys’ stay at Rockhaven from the time that she really began to make it as a star and could afford to cover the fees. She provided for Gladys continued stay there in her will, allowing her mother to live in comfort in a place designed for women with mental illness.
Gladys (right) at Rockhaven with Inez Melson, who became her guardian after Marilyn’s death.
Rockhaven is more than just the place where Marilyn’s mother lived; it was a unique concept that was born of the need to create a place where women suffering with mental illness could be treated with kindness and compassion. Founded in 1923 by a psychiatric nurse by the name of Agnes Richards, Rockhaven was a rare sanatarium owned and run by women, for women.
The gates at Rockhaven today.
The beautiful grounds.
After decades of treating and caring for women like Gladys, Rockhaven closed in 2006 and has since been in danger of destruction. The historic importance of the buildings and the stories of the women who founded it, worked there, and lived there are all in danger of being lost to time.
Immortal Marilyn is proud to support the work of Friends of Rockhaven, a group dedicated to preserving the buildings and their history. As part of our support, we are calling on all of our members to join us in a letter-writing petition campaign to the city of Glendale asking them to restore and protect Rockhaven as a place of historical importance.
This is where you come in! Immortal Marilyn is preparing a letter that you can print off, sign, and send off to City Hall to lend your voice to the effort to save Rockhaven. All it takes is your signature and a stamp to help us let the Mayor and the city council know that we believe this is a place that deserves to be preserved for future generations.
Download the letter from Google docs here, or contact us for a copy. Simply fill it out with your name, sign in, and mail it to the address on the letter!
You can visit the Friends of Rockhaven website to learn more about who they are and their work, and you can follow them on Facebook to keep up on the latest news!
Please help us in this important effort to save a historic place!!
Misfit
By Adam Braver
2012 Tin House Books
ISBN 9781935639404
Immortal Marilyn are happy to announce that we have some new blood on our team!
We would like to welcome April, Deb, Aimee and Sirkku to the family. Their knowledge, passion and dedication to Marilyn is invaluable and we are so happy to have them on board.
Don’t forget to join our Facebook group and follow us on Twitter!
By Fraser Penney
When I first began to take a proper interest in Marilyn during the second half of the 1970’s, the fall of 1976 to be exact, something inside me was drawn to her after reading a brief biography in an encyclopedia and suddenly I began seeing her image everywhere and it would take my breath away. It was a life changing experience as I’d never had feelings like this for someone outside my family and friends before and I somehow attached myself to her as if she was something I had been searching for my whole life. I was 12 so at a very impressionable age.
