Marilyn Goes From Paris to Palm Springs

As the Musée Grévin prepares to reopen in Paris this Wednesday, May 19, staff have treated their Marilyn waxwork – inspired by her iconic gold lamé dress pose – to a spring clean, the NY Daily News reports (photo by Thomas Samson, AFP.) Across the Atlantic, this year’s Artichoke Festival will go ahead at the Monterey fairgrounds. (Marilyn was, of course, crowned the first Artichoke Queen back in 1948.)

Meanwhile in Palm Springs, the imminent return of the Forever Marilyn sculpture continues to stir up controversy, with a #MeTooMarilyn protest staged recently on Museum Way. However, the statue remains popular with local businesses and especially the LGBTQ community, though some dispute the claim that it will boost tourism. “She’s an attraction, in our opinion. She’s not an art,” Forever Marilyn’s champion Aftab Dada of PS Resorts tells NPR.

Support for Forever Marilyn in Palm Springs (photos by Bob at Marilyn Remembered)