A series of portraits of Marilyn in the intimacy of an unmade bed, taken by the American photographer in 1961 (leporello).
Marilyn Monroe would have turned 100 on June 1, 2026. To this day, she remains the most alluring, charismatic, and idolized movie star of all time. One evening in 1961, on November 17, the young twenty-seven-year-old photographer Douglas Kirkland had the chance to capture her beauty and charm in an iconic sequence of portraits.
In the intimacy of an unmade bed, "Marilyn. A Magical Dance" presents a series of some of the most spontaneous and enchanting photographs ever taken of Marilyn Monroe. For Douglas Kirkland, every photo session was a dance: a magical and unrepeatable moment, a waltz between the photographer and his subject. This idea of dance becomes the guiding thread of the new volume, conceived as a leporello.
The portfolio of images, accompanied by Douglas Kirkland's handwritten words, unfolds without interruption, transforming the act of reading into an immersive and almost choreographic visual experience. Page after page, the book draws the reader into the story of a brief and seductive encounter between a young photographer and the most iconic and desired woman in Hollywood history.
Award-winning photographer Douglas Kirkland's (1934-2022) career started during the golden age of photojournalism in the early '60s. His work was on the cutting edge of fashion, film, and celebrity portraiture, working for the world's most reputable magazines for more than 60 years. He has been exhibited worldwide in galleries and museums. His images are part of the permanent collections of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Smithsonian, and the National Portrait Gallery.
