marilyn monroe’s rejected pictures

Marilyn Monroe - Los Angeles 1962

An initially unwanted picture proves to be famous

June 1962, Bel Air Hotel, Los Angeles. After three days of shooting and 2,571 photographs taken (375 in color), Bert Stern finalize one of the most important shooting of his professional career, the subject: Marilyn Monroe.Â

The pictures especially made for Vogue, six weeks before her tragic death, are showing a mature Marilyn that no one had ever seen before, the most erotic and liveliest photographs of the star ever. Anyway, Vogue has published no more than 20 images.

After the shooting, Marilyn rejected herself some of the pictures from the series. To be sure that no one will publish the rejected images, she marked the frames with a red pen, directly on the film.  When she died, Bert Stern published the rejected pictures showing the red marks. The complete set of 2,571 photos is published in “The Complete Last Sitting” book by Bert Stern.

The rejected pictures will become very famous, not only because these are specials but because Marilyn painted a red cross over them, six weeks before she died. (death, red cross, six weeks before, rejected images, anticipating of death… are enough information for creating controversy, of course).Â

 marilyn monroemarylin monroemarilyn monroe  Â

About the Author: Bert Stern was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1929. In 1954 he opened his first studio in New York. He is famous for his portraits of celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Gary Cooper, Louis Armstrong, Catherine Deneuve, and Marilyn Monroe. He was almost like a personal photographer for Marilyn.

10 Replies to “marilyn monroe’s rejected pictures”

  1. I heard about this exhibit on WTTW (chicago’s pbs) about a weekago. Pretty cool.

  2. maryilin monroe, she is a very good prostitute, it’s a crap, shit person, she is a very beautiful person, pam and something…
    monroe, dead!!! jajaja

  3. Andy, you’re just a cunt. This poor girl was never loved and ripped to shreds by the jaws of Hollywood. She couldn’t help that she was a sex symbol. All she wanted was respect as an actress…she was not a slut, a prosititue or a whore. She was a human being. She had a terrible childhood and was desperate to be loved. Along with that, she needed to depend on something..so she chose drugs & Alcohol. That was the only thing that never failed her. So you can’t call her out for her faults. She WAS a wonderful actress. Check her earlier films and shut the hell up.

    You shouldn’t speak of other people’s faults anyways because you are no better than anyone else. And don’t act like you don’t have any. Of course, if you’re low enough to rag on a dead woman..them that just shows what kind of idiot you really are….pathetic asshole.

  4. I’d love a huge print of the 4 b&w shots posted above, to hang on my bedroom wall…

  5. i wonder waat she would look/be like if she was still alive, despite her being a sex symbol and labeled as a slut etc she is still i think one of the most influential females to have ever lived. kinda like the Elvis of the modelling world hah=]

    her legend is infinite

  6. Wow! First time I have seen or heard of these photos.She was a beauitful person and she i ad will forever be a legend!

    RIP ! M.M

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