Russell Young is the ‘official artist’ for Marilyn’s centenary, as appointed by Authentic Brands Group (ABG), the owners of her estate. Among Monroe fans, the British-American artist is known for his silkscreens coated in ‘diamond dust,’ most notably ‘Marilyn Crying’, based on George Silk’s 1954 photograph of Marilyn captured when her split from husband Joe DiMaggio was first announced.
In partnership with Piper-Heidsieck champagne, Young has taken his work from Miami to Montreal, and recently hosted a screening of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at the Lincoln Centre in New York. And now, ‘The Last Marilyn’ – described as the final ‘Marilyn’ that Young will create – is the centrepiece of Marilyn 100, on display at Art Angels in Los Angeles until September 10.
Available in black-and-white and shades of pink and blue, ‘The Last Marilyn’ is based on a photograph by Jock Carroll, author of Falling for Marilyn: The Lost Niagara Collection (1996.) Carroll was a Canadian photographer who documented Marilyn’s activities on location for Niagara in the summer of 1952 for Weekend magazine, a nationally syndicated newspaper supplement.
“I know what, I have to learn to smoke a cigarette for my next picture. You can take pictures of me while I’m practicing,” Marilyn suggested while lying on the bed of her suite in the General Brock Hotel, overlooking Niagara Falls. Carroll used an entire roll of film for the sequence, ranging from classic ‘bad girl’ poses to humorous shots of Marilyn coughing in the attempt. (In fact, she did become an occasional, though seemingly not habitual smoker.)
Marilyn 100 includes additional portraits by Young, including a six-colour series, ‘Marilyn Crying 100’, and fellow celebrity subjects Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, James Dean, Steve McQueen, and Mick Jagger.
The Marilyn Report 