Everything to Know About the Marilyn Monroe Centennial
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
From books to auctions, a festival and museum exhibitions, all the details that honor the screen icon's 100th birthday.
Norma Jeane Mortenson was born on June 1, 1926 at Los Angeles General Hospital — and the world has never been quite the same.
She was christened soon after as Norma Jeane Baker, as her mother wanted to avoid using the name of her husband at the time, Martin Mortenson, so she used the last name of her first husband, Jasper Baker. Two decades later at age 20, she adopted a new name, Marilyn Monroe, when she signed her first contract at 20th Century Fox in 1946, taking her first name from the Broadway star Marilyn Miller and her mother's maiden name for her last. But it would be another decade before that name, already well-known to movie audiences, would become officially hers, as it wasn't until 1956 that then-married Norma Jeane Dougherty navigated the legal system to become Marilyn Monroe.
She would only use the name for another six years. Among the annals of Hollywood tragedies, few remain in the public consciousness like the death of Marilyn Monroe, whose suicide on August 5, 1962 continues to capture attention around the world. With the approach of the centennial of Monroe's birth, look for that attention to surge once again, with a wealth of events planned to honor the screen icon in a variety of ways. Here's a look at just a few ways you can take part in honoring the woman who continues to play an integral role in popular culture more than six decades after her death.
Marilyn 100
Palm Springs, California
Thursday, May 28 — Monday, June 1
Conflicting stories exist about Monroe's discovery, which reportedly first occurred between 1944 and 1945 when a photographer spotted her at a munitions factor in Van Nuys, California — but it's now the stuff of Hollywood legend that Norma Jeane Baker was "discovered" poolside by agent Johnny Hyde at Charlie Farrell's Racquet Club in Palm Springs in 1949. A 26-foot statue of Monroe, designed by Seward Johnson and depicting her famed Seven-Year Itch subway scene, is a must-see attraction in the popular desert resort city today.
Fans are sure to be congregating at that statue in Downtown Park as the nonprofit community organization Greater Palm Springs Pride presents a four-day festival that celebrates Monroe's enduring legacy as an icon. Events and activations range from film screenings at the city's historic Plaza Theatre, cocktail experiences that include "Mimosas with Marilyn" at the Canopy Wine Lounge, and a musical tribute show at the Hilton Palm Springs. On Saturday, May 30 in Downtown Park, an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most Marilyn Monroe lookalikes in one location. The current record stands at 254, set in 2020 in Australia, while Marilyn 100 is aiming for a minimum of 500 participants, who must wear a white halter dress and blonde wig to qualify. Visit pspride.org/marilyn for the complete calendar and more information.
Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Los Angeles
May 31, 2026 — February 28, 2027
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has planned a major retrospective of Monroe's life and career, featuring hundreds of objects, including personal items never before exhibited in public. In addition to production documents, photographs and personal letters, the exhibition also will showcase a variety of her screen-worn costumes from films that include Love Happy, the unfinished final film Something's Got to Give, two costumes from Some Like It Hot, and the iconic and rarely exhibited pink gown from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
Screenings are also scheduled throughout the exhibition's lifespan, starting with Gentlemen Prefer Blondes on Sunday, May 31 at 6:30 p.m. at the museum's David Geffen Theater. Tickets start at just $5.
"The Marilyn Monroe Collection from the Estate of Norman and Hedda Rosten"
Heritage Auctions, Dallas
Monday and Tuesday, June 1 - 2
A pair of high-profile auction houses have planned sales of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia to highlight the centennial, and the first is Dallas-based Heritage Auctions, which has organized three events featuring more than 250 lots over two days, June 1 and 2.
On Monroe's birthday, Heritage presents "The Marilyn Monroe Collection from the Estate of Norman and Hedda Rosten," showcasing roughly 90 lots owned by the couple, who became friends with the star in 1955, having met through photographer Sam Shaw. Monroe regularly corresponded with the couple, ultimately revealing personal details about her marriages to both Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, seen in the letters included in the sale. Other items include pieces from her personal wardrobe, from costume jewelry to the Christian Dior wool skirt suit she wore when departing on her 1954 honeymoon with DiMaggio. The starting bid on the suit is $20,000.
Also on June 1, Heritage presents "A Century of Marilyn: The Timeless Image - Photographs," which as its name implies focuses on the iconic imagery taken of the star throughout her career, with the sale including images by Shaw, Bert Stern, Eve Arnold and others. On June 2, the Hollywood/Entertainment Signature® Auction puts an emphasis on magazine covers, publicity stills and some personal items, including makeup, while an exhibition version of William Travilla's famed halter dress from The Seven-Year Itch, recreated in the 1970s for museum exhibitions, is also included, with a starting bid of $6,000. The real thing — among the costumes saved by Debbie Reynolds when she purchased many in 1971 before they were set to be destroyed — sold at auction for $4.6 million in 2011 and remains in a private collection today.
“Marilyn Monroe remains one of the most enduring and influential figures in American popular culture, a presence that has shaped generations and continues to captivate us today,” Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions, said in a statement. “While her image and story have been revisited time and again, opportunities to encounter her in such a direct and unfiltered way are exceedingly rare. The extraordinary letters and notes preserved through her intimate and trusting relationship with Norman and Hedda Rosten reveal a side of Monroe that has remained largely unseen—deeply personal, searching, and profoundly human. This is not simply a collection of familiar artifacts, but a remarkable archive of primary material that offers fresh insight into her inner world and a true once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for collectors, scholars, and admirers alike.”
"100 Years of Marilyn"
The Peninsula Beverly Hills
Thursday, June 4
Julien's Auctions has been partnering with Turner Classic Movies since 2022 to present a series of "Hollywood Legends" auctions, and for the centennial has planned an extensive live and online sale of artifacts, christened "100 Years of Marilyn."
The wide variety of items span Monroe's personal and professional life, including her signed 1949 contract with the William Morris Agency, a 1950s Jeanne Lanvin evening gown, and a rare photograph signed by both Monroe and DiMaggio that shows the pair exiting an airplane in Japan on their honeymoon. Among the items carrying the highest estimate: a 1950s minaudière carrying personal items that include a tube of lipstick and hair comb, estimated to sell for $100,000 to $200,000; that Lanvin gown, estimated to sell for between $20,000 and $30,000; and perhaps the most unusual lot in any of the sales, the wooden gates Monroe personally ordered after she moved into her Brentwood home, which remained on the property until the then-current homeowner sold them sometime around 1985, and which carry an auction estimate of $30,000 to $50,000.
Throughout June, the partnership between Julien's Auctions and Turner Classic Movies also will be highlighted as the cable network honors Monroe as its Star of the Month, with screenings scheduled for every Monday, kicking off with Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, Monkey Business and Ladies of the Chorus on June 1; Clash by Night, Don't Bother to Knock, The Asphalt Jungle and Right Cross on June 8; Bus Stop, The Seven Year Itch and Niagara on June 15; and Some Like It Hot, The Misfits and The Prince and the Showgirl on June 22.
“There was a world before Marilyn Monroe, and a profoundly different one after. She remains a once-in-a-generation star whose influence reshaped culture and continues to resonate today,” Martin Nolan, executive director and co-founder of Julien’s Auctions, said in a statement. “As we approach what would have been her 100th birthday, Julien’s Auctions and TCM join audiences around the globe in honoring her extraordinary life and enduring legacy as one of the twentieth century’s defining cultural icons. We are proud to offer an exceptional collection of her most personal belongings, objects that capture the glamour, talent, vulnerability, and sensuality that cement her status as an everlasting legend of Hollywood.”
Marilyn Monroe — A Portrait
National Portrait Gallery, London
June 4 — September 6, 2026
In "Marilyn Monroe — A Portrait," London's National Portrait Gallery puts the spotlight on the both the iconic and little-known images taken of Monroe throughout her career, as well as the tribute imagery that followed her death. Works by artists including Andy Warhol, James Gill and Pauline Boty will be on view, as well as photographs by Beaton, Avedon, Philippe Halsman, Alfred Eisenstadt and others. The images taken by photographer Allen Grant at Monroe's Brentwood home the day before her death in August 1962 also will be on display. Events throughout the exhibition period include curated tours, lectures and a panel discussion.
By ACC Art Books Ltd.
Available on May 5, 2026
The only book authorized in partnership with the Marilyn Monroe Estate, Marilyn Monroe 100 gathers 275 images from some of the 20th century's most iconic photographers, including Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon, Milton Greene, Eve Arnold and Henri Cartier-Bresson. The 348-page oversized book also includes quotes from Monroe as well as scholars and admirers who discuss her timeless appeal.
By Richard Meryman and Marilyn Monroe; photographs by Allan Grant
Available on May 12, 2026
In July 1962, Life magazine photographer Allan Grant took the last photos ever taken of Monroe during a photo session in her home, with several reportedly taken as she reviewed the transcript of the four-hour interview she had done a few days before with journalist and biographer Richard Meryman. Only eight of Grant's images appeared after her death, with the rest stored in the photographer's safe.
Now all of Grant's images and the complete transcript of Meryman's interview have come together in Marilyn: The Lost Photographs, The Last Interview, a 256-page book that offers a look at Monroe at her most candid as she discusses everything from her childhood to the studio system, the meaning of fame and what it felt like to be considered a sex symbol. With Monroe included as one of the book's authors, this may be the most authentic book that showcases Monroe's own words from start to finish.
By Joshua John Miller and Mark A. Fortin; photographs by Bruno Bernard
Available on May 19, 2026
Known professionally as "Bernard of Hollywood," Bruno Bernard was among the most sought-after photographers of Hollywood's golden age, capturing some of today's best-known images of Elizabeth Taylor, Gregory Peck, Marlene Dietrich and other stars. Also among Bernard's career highlights was taking the now-legendary image of Monroe on the set of The Seven Year Itch, depicting the star standing on the subway grate at the corner of East 52nd Street and Lexington Avenue in September 1954.
In The Marilyn Monroe Century, author Joshua John Miller is Bernard's grandson and worked with co-author Mark Fortin to compile and edit both the famed and little-known photographs Bernard captured of the star over the years. The text includes writings from Bernard's personal diaries and letters, many never-before-seen, about his experiences working with the star, while the cover of the 272-page coffeetable book features Bernard's famed image from the Seven Year Itch set, created in a lenticular style so the skirt on Monroe's dress appears to rise as the book is tilted.
By Andrew Wilson
Available on June 2, 2026
Biographer and journalist Andrew Wilson has put together this comprehensive look at Monroe's life, a 512-page book that includes previously unpublished letters from Monroe, DiMaggio and Miller, as well as case notes and private letters from Dr. Ralph Greenson, the star's Los Angeles psychoanalyst between 1960 and her death. Quotes from previously unheard audio recordings are also included in I Wanna Be Loved By You, interviews with Billy Wilder, Jane Russell, John Huston and her housekeeper, Eunice Murray, reportedly the last person to see Monroe alive. Finally, Wilson delves into the conspiracy theories that have surrounded the star's death over the past 64 years.
