MARILYN MONROE – MILTON GREENE/DOUGLAS KIRKLAND
2016-01-04Greene’s most noted work is with Marilyn Monroe. They first met in 1953 on assignmentfor Look Magazine. In 1956, they formed Marilyn Monroe Productions together, which produced “Bus Stop” and “The Prince and the Showgirl.” By the end of their four year relationship, he had photographed her in 52 different sittings producing over 5,000 images, some of which have never been published. Many advocates of Monroe consider Greene’s collaboration with her to be the best and most genuine. In recent years his photographs have been exhibited in major galleries, museums and private collections around the world. Greene’s work continues to represent an era in time,
Douglas Kirkland (b.1934) was born in Toronto, Canada. He joined Look Magazine in his early twenties, and later Life Magazine during the golden age of 60’s/70’s photojournalism. Through the years, Kirkland has worked on the sets of over one hundred motion pictures. Among them, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, “2001 A SpaceOdyssey”, “Sound of Music”, “Out of Africa”, “Titanic” “Moulin Rouge”, “Australia” and “The Great Gatsby”.
In 1961, Marilyn Monroe told the 27 year old photographer Kirkland to come into bed with her. The evening he spent with Monroe 51 years ago was sensual, intimate, and spontaneous, and it produced the famous series “An Evening With Marilyn Monroe.” The series consists of Marilyn posing sensually in bed, with only a silk sheet between her and the camera. Kirkland was a novice photographer at the time, nothing compared to his prolific career today, but according to Kirkland, the two of them shared a tension-filled shoot that helped create the stunning photographs. Thinking back on the evening today, he describes their time together as though they “were in a beautiful dance,” with Marilyn leading of course.
Opposite – The Rock Sitting, LA, Milton Green, 1953
Exhibition runs through till February 27th, 2016
The Little Black Gallery
13A Park Walk
London
SW10 0AJ
