On April 4, an exhibit honoring the life of Marilyn Monroe opened at Savannah’s Jepson Center for the Arts. The show features several international artists and will continue its display until July 27.
Many of the pieces are owned by private European collectors or have been lent from Sotheby’s archives in New York.
Although an estimate on the amount of visitors has yet to be released, the gallery has been visited by a multitude of students, community members and tourists.
“I can hear the buzz in the hallways. This is a great time of year because of spring break, there are out-of-town visitors coming,” said Lisa Grove, director and CEO of the Telfair’s Jepson Center for the Arts.
The history of American icon Marilyn Monroe is arranged around the gallery in various forms of visual media including photography, video, and painting.
“The tone is different based on what the visitor brings. There is a big sense of glamour in Marilyn as the Hollywood star,” said Grove. “A sadness is interwoven in the image of her and viewers begin to see that sadness and frailty of Marilyn as a person.”
The final portion of the exhibit focuses on Monroe after her death. Numerous artists depict Monroe’s impressive reputation through the lens of modern themes such as sexuality, commercialism, and exploitation.
“It is seen generationally. Older people who remember her living have a different experience than the younger generation under 40 who, as a majority, have yet to see her films,” Grove said. “Now she is mediated as an icon or brand. Her image is used to sell things like Coca-Cola, which is separate from her as a person.”
A brief description of Monroe’s short but memorable career is provided at the exhibit’s entrance. A general timeline of her life is shown in multiple media along the many walls of the gallery.
