It’s hard to believe that next year MARILYN MONROE would be 100 years old, but Melissa Morgan Fine Art Gallery are not waiting to celebrate. This Friday, they are opening their newest exhibition, LAWRENCE SCHILLER : MARILYN TURNS 100 

Lawrence Schiller, was one of the few photographers to have worked directly with Marilyn Monroe, and his images =capture the wit, vulnerability, and undeniable charisma that made Monroe an icon. His intimate perspective—both on set and behind the scenes—offers rare insight into the woman behind the legend. 

Schiller’s intimate access to Monroe at the height—and twilight—of her career is unparalleled. Through his lens, Marilyn is not only a screen legend, but a complex, vulnerable, and unforgettable woman. This exhibition invites viewers to experience her through a uniquely honest and powerful visual narrative.

This Exhibit features a rare and deeply personal collection of photographs taken by Schiller in the final year of Monroe’s life. From candid behind-the-scenes moments to iconic imagery captured on the set of Something’s Got to Give, this exhibition offers an extraordinary and humanizing portrait of a woman whose mystique continues to captivate the world.

Schiller was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up outside of San Diego, California. Though a childhood accident left him with impaired vision in one eye, he became an obsessive photographer, eventually capturing some of the most iconic images in the spheres of entertainment, politics, and film. While attending Pepperdine College, his photographs appeared in publications such as Life, Sport, Playboy, Glamour, and The Saturday Evening Post, launching a prolific career in print journalism. Schiller worked for major outlets including LIFE, Paris Match, Time, Newsweek, and Stern, documenting major stories and personalities around the world.

Schiller’s renowned images of  Monroe remained an essential part of his career, and his photographs of her have become iconic. His photographs are held in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., the Millennium Museum in Beijing, and the National Gallery for Foreign Art in Sofia, Bulgaria,