On the occasion of Marilyn Monroe’s centenary, the Museum presents a selection of the eternal movie star’s films set in New York City. It was here that the iconic shot of Monroe standing over the subway grate was taken. This was the work of legendary photographer and lifelong New Yorker Sam Shaw, whose vibrant images of Monroe charted the actress throughout her career. To celebrate this relationship, ACC Art Books has published the beautiful volume Dear Marilyn: The Unseen Letters and Photographs by Sam Shaw. Through Shaw’s words and photographs, Dear Marilyn offers newly discovered correspondence and never-before-seen, digitally remastered photographs from the original 1940s–1960s archival material, from behind the scenes of The Seven Year Itch to candid images of her on the streets of New York City and in love at the beach in Amagansett. 

As part of this program, we are pleased to welcome Melissa Stevens, Shaw’s granddaughter, for a conversation with film scholar Imogen Sara Smith (The Criterion Collection) about the myth, the image, and the reality of Marilyn Monroe.