Marilyn and I

In 1999 I had a chance to attend as a spectator "The Personal Property of Marilyn Monroe” auction at Christie’s in New York. I was intrigued by a masterfully orchestrated ritual in a room filled with people determined to shell out thousands of dollars for the right to own a piece of Hollywood’s most iconic woman. It is at Christie’s that I first started wondering about the elements of the exceptional longevity and modernity of Monroe’s myth.

A rare opportunity presented itself in 2005, six years after the Christie’s auction. A collector friend bought a summer dress from a private wardrobe of Marilyn Monroe. The access I was granted to the relic allowed me to begin my own exploration of Monroe’s legend. With the borrowed dress carefully folded in my photographer’s backpack I went on a journey to meet and photograph men and women of all ages who feel the continuing connection to Marilyn Monroe decades after her death.