Marilyn Monroe is 100 – and we still want a piece of her

{"text":[[{"start":6.6,"text":"In 2012, make-up artist Lisa Eldridge posted a YouTube tutorial on how to recreate Marilyn Monroe’s signature look. The video – detailing the flick of (brown, not black) eyeliner, the half-set of false lashes and multiple layers of lipstick and gloss – clocked up more than a million views in its first week. Fourteen years later, it has prompted Authentic Brands Group, the owner of the film star’s estate, to name Eldridge as its sole make-up collaborator for the centenary of Monroe’s birth."}],[{"start":37.3,"text":"The anniversary, on 1 June, puts the star back in the spotlight. Eldridge’s make-up collection has just launched; alongside it, a slew of exhibitions will mark the occasion from an homage to the actor at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles to Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait, a show at London’s National Portrait Gallery. It’s also a boon for Monroe memorabilia, says Adrian Hume-Sayer, director of private and iconic collections at Christie’s. “Her appeal remains as relevant today as it ever was. It is the emotional connection rather than the intrinsic value of the object that drives the price – and a major anniversary invariably draws more material.”"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":78.9,"text":" In 1999, Christie’s New York held a landmark two-day auction containing many of Monroe’s personal effects. With some 500 lots, ranging from swimwear to annotated scripts, it made more than $13mn. The diamond-set eternity band given to Monroe by Joe DiMaggio went for $772,500; an “M”-initialled handkerchief sold for $12,650; and a travelling make-up case containing Max Factor lipsticks, Elizabeth Arden eyeshadows and Revlon nail polishes (in shades of Cherries à la Mode and Hot Coral) sold for $266,500 – against an estimate of $1,000-$1,500. "}],[{"start":null,"text":"

Monroe’s initialled handkerchief, which sold for $12,650 at Christie’s in 1999 

Monroe’s initialled handkerchief, which sold for $12,650 at Christie’s in 1999 

Monroe’s travelling make-up case, which sold for $266,500 at Christie’s in 1999

Monroe’s travelling make-up case, which sold for $266,500 at Christie’s in 1999

"}],[{"start":null,"text":"

Monroe’s lipstick, owned by Lisa Eldridge

Monroe’s lipstick, owned by Lisa Eldridge

Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Elevated Baume Glow Concentrate, £27

Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Elevated Baume Glow Concentrate, £27. BUY

"}],[{"start":123.65,"text":"Eldridge has been collecting vintage make-up since the early 1990s and wrote Face Paint: The Story of Makeup in 2015. She owns two lipsticks linked to Monroe: one, by Coty, from a private dealer (“That purchase was the wild west,” she admits); another from Elizabeth Arden in vivid orange, bought directly from Monroe’s estate. It is believed to have been worn on the set of The Misfits and, with authentic Monroe provenance, could now fetch around £60,000."}],[{"start":154.5,"text":"“Such items offer a highly emotive, ephemeral and most importantly tangible link to the individual,” says Hume-Sayer. Unlike artworks (take Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, sold for $195mn at Christie’s New York in 2022), these are objects that are, by definition, consumable, fragile and often partially used. "}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":177.15,"text":"Of course, Monroe attracted more attention for her love of Chanel No 5 than she did for any make-up. When ephemera specialist Julien’s Auctions offered an unopened bottle of Monroe’s perfume at auction in 2010, it sold for $9,375 over an estimate of $800-$1,200. A more significant Monroe sale at Julien’s was the skin-tight, crystal-studded gown she wore when she sang “Happy Birthday, Mr President” to John F Kennedy. In 2016, it sold for $4.8mn (an auction record for a dress). It went to the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! museum chain, and was later loaned to Kim Kardashian to wear at the 2022 Met Gala."}],[{"start":222.55,"text":"Today, though, “collectors are keeping hold of their high-end Marilyn items”, says Margaret Barrett, vice-president and head of Hollywood memorabilia at Julien’s Auctions. “A really big ticket item has not come to auction for a number of years.” Julien’s dedicated 4 June sale, “100 Years of Marilyn”, will feature “many great smaller items”, including unseen photographs, four early signed contracts, make-up items, one of her bras and an annotated script from her last, unfinished film, Something’s Got to Give. "}],[{"start":null,"text":"

The actress’s Monroe’s Chanel No 5, which sold for $9,375 at Julien’s Auctions in 2010

The actress’s Chanel No 5, which sold for $9,375 at Julien’s Auctions in 2010

Monroe’s diamond-set eternity band, which sold for $772,500 at Christie’s in 1999

Monroe’s diamond-set eternity band, which sold for $772,500 at Christie’s in 1999

"}],[{"start":null,"text":"

The gown in which Monroe sang to John F Kennedy, sold for $4.8mn at Julien’s Auctions in 2016

The gown in which Monroe sang to John F Kennedy, sold for $4.8mn at Julien’s Auctions in 2016

A signed photograph of Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, 1954, est $3,000-$5,000 at Julien’s Auctions

A signed photograph of Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, 1954, est $3,000-$5,000 at Julien’s Auctions

"}],[{"start":253.45000000000002,"text":"“Signed photographs always sell well,” adds Barrett, highlighting two in the sale, both with an estimate of $4,000-$5,000. At Paul Fraser Collectibles, a version of the publicity shot of Monroe famously appropriated by Warhol is being offered for £12,500, while Sotheby’s is selling a print by Richard Avedon as part of The Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction on 24 June, with an estimate of £400,000-£600,000."}],[{"start":285,"text":"The National Portrait exhibition opening in June spans iconic images and rare material, including a series captured by Allan Grant of Monroe at her Brentwood home shortly before her death. “Only a handful were ever published,” says the show’s co-curator Rosie Broadley. “We are also including original photographs of Monroe by Gordon Parks.” "}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":306.95,"text":"Eldridge’s new make-up collection drew inspiration from a series of photographs taken by Monroe’s close friend, the photographer Sam Shaw, during the summer of 1957. Monroe was just 31, married to Arthur Miller and renting a windmill house in Amagansett in the Hamptons. The images are undeniably Monroe – but off-duty, says Eldridge. “She’s just a woman having a nice time.”"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":336.84999999999997,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1780129199_8798.mp3"}