Hollywood Makes Plans for Marilyn’s Centennial

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As fans celebrate Marilyn’s 99th birthday, preparations are underway for her centennial in Los Angeles, as Indiewire reports.

“Never nominated for an Oscar, Marilyn Monroe is finally getting her due posthumously from the Academy. IndieWire can announce that the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will host a 2026 exhibition honouring the late actress. Aptly titled Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon, the exhibition will run from May 31, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Monroe would have been 100 years old in 2026; she died at her Brentwood house at age 36 in 1962.

Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon will include hundreds of original objects, including posters, portraits, photographs, production documents, letters, and rarely seen personal materials, as well as costumes from Monroe’s most iconic roles. Highlights include the rarely exhibited famous pink dress from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and two costumes from Some Like it Hot. There are also items from Monroe’s final and unfinished film, Something’s Got to Give.

The Academy deemed Monroe a ‘visionary actor and image-maker’ in the announcement of the exhibition. Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon is curated by Associate Curator Sophia Serrano, with the support of Curatorial Assistant Simran Bhalla.”

The ‘famous pink dress from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes‘ is, of course, Marilyn’s ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’ costume, designed by Travilla. Her signature musical number from the 1953 movie is also featured in the poster art for another exhibition, Colour in Motion, at the Academy Museum on Wilshire Boulevard until July 13, 2025.

‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’ has often been referenced at the Academy Awards, most infamously in 2011 when presenter James Franco donned Monroe drag for an unfunny comedy skit. During the 2015 ceremony’s opening number, Neil Patrick Harris accompanied multiple Marilyns in a hologram sequence; and in 2024, Ryan Gosling adapted the song’s choreography for his viral ‘I’m Just Ken’ performance.

And finally, another Gentlemen Prefer Blondes costume – the red sequinned gowns worn by Marilyn and Jane Russell for ‘Two Little Girls From Little Rock‘ – was featured in the Academy Museum’s inaugural exhibition in 2021.