 Bert Stern: Marilyn Crucifix III, 1962 iris print, 35 x 47 inches Marilyn: From Anastasi to Weegee William Anastasi, Marcel Broodthaers, Holly Coulis, E. V. Day, Andre de Dienes, Robert Frank, Douglas Gordon, Keith Haring, Jonathan Horowitz, Ray Johnson, Robert Indiana, Zoë Leonard, Jean Matthee, Yasumasa Morimura, Vik Muniz, Raymond Pettibon, Paul Pfeiffer, Cindy Sherman, Bert Stern, Billy Sullivan, Jacques Villegle, Andy Warhol, Weegee Sean Kelly Gallery is delighted to announce the exhibition, "Marilyn: From Anastasi to Weegee". The exhibition brings together works in diverse media that address popular American icon, Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1st, 1926, to an unwed, mentally unstable mother, had a troubled childhood and a short, but dramatic life. Within twenty years, she married three times and made 29 films. If it had been completed, "Something's Got to Give", 1962, would have been her 30th film. Officially listed as suicide, Marilyn's death, late on the evening of August 4th, 1962 continues to be the subject of much speculation and controversy. Through Marilyn's image one can explore issues of identity, the vocabulary of memory, and American popular culture. Marilyn herself observed, "People had a habit of looking at me as if I were some kind of mirror". The enduring power of this icon continues to fundamentally inform, transform, and reflect how we view ourselves in contemporary culture. Marilyn's image is constantly represented, quoted and manipulated in art, reflecting America's ongoing love affair with notions of identity, self and fame. The exhibition includes a silver gelatin print of a young, vibrant Norma Jeane by Andre de Dienes taken in the 1950s. At the end of her life, Bert Stern photographed Marilyn in the famous "Last Sitting" while Robert Frank's "Marilyn is Dead, Cape Cod MA", depicts a woman draped in an American flag reading a newspaper with the headline "Marilyn Dead". Marilyn's image is appropriated in a many ways. Andy Warhol whose Reversal Marilyn is included in the exhibition, is perhaps the most well known image. Vik Muniz crafts Marilyn's portrait out of blood and diamonds whilst William Anastasi's delicate, parallel lines depict her likeness in two silver gelatin prints and a third work which reflects Warhol's depictions of her. Several artists reenact iconic Marilyn poses commenting on how her image and identity can be deconstructed and manipulated to address a variety of social issues. Both Yasumasa Morimura and Zoë Leonard restage photographer Tom Kelley's infamous nude red velvet pose. In Douglas Gordon's Self-portrait as Kurt Cobain, as Andy Warhol, as Myra Hindley, as Marilyn Monroe, Marilyn is one of several popular culture personalities that are simultaneously referenced. Exhibition: June 11 - July 24, 2004 Gallery Hours: Tu-Sa 11 am - 6 pm Sean Kelly Gallery 528 West 29th Street USA- New York, NY 10001 Telephone +1 212 239 11 81 Fax +1 212 239 24 67 Email info@skny.com www.skny.com |
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