London

The National Gallery has put on some major crowd-pleasers in the last year, such as Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World and The Face: Culture Shift, however its latest exhibition could trump the lot.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="807" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Green-Marilyn-1962-by-Andy-Warhol-807x1024.jpg" alt="Marilyn Monroe exhibition " class="wp-image-22987" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Green-Marilyn-1962-by-Andy-Warhol-807x1024.jpg 807w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Green-Marilyn-1962-by-Andy-Warhol-236x300.jpg 236w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Green-Marilyn-1962-by-Andy-Warhol-768x975.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Green-Marilyn-1962-by-Andy-Warhol-1210x1536.jpg 1210w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Green-Marilyn-1962-by-Andy-Warhol.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 807px) 100vw, 807px" /></figure>



<a href="https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2026/marilyn-monroe-a-portrait" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait</a> is as close as it gets to exhibition perfection, taking you on a journey from the star’s teenage years through to dazzling stardom via five spacious rooms filled with fascinating images and stories. It&#8217;s an illuminating deep dive into the life and times of a legend, who would have turned 100 this year. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sounds-great-tell-me-more">Sounds great, tell me more…</h2>



Born in Los Angeles General Hospital’s charity ward to a single mum, Norma Jeane Mortensen, as she was originally known, wasn’t from a wealthy background and moved between foster homes during her childhood. 



Not that the star let any of this hold her back. It&#8217;s made clear from the start that Monroe was more than a pretty face, with the exhibition emphasising how her constant collaborative approach and push for creative control helped propel her to stardom. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="771" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_151744774-771x1024.jpg" alt="Marilyn Monroe exhibition " class="wp-image-22994" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_151744774-771x1024.jpg 771w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_151744774-226x300.jpg 226w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_151744774-768x1020.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_151744774-1157x1536.jpg 1157w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_151744774.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px" /></figure>



I found the evolution of the star documented in photographs, film, letters and art work by the likes of Andy Warhol, completely riveting. However while the gallery demonstrates how Norma Jeane’s talent, looks and instincts helped her construct her lucrative Marilyn Monroe persona, it&#8217;s clear she wasn&#8217;t treated with the respect she deserved by the male photographers, lovers (she was married three times) and studio bosses in her life, particularly when she wanted to be taken more seriously as an actress. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-highlights-nbsp">Highlights?&nbsp;</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1015" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Marilyn-Monroe-1946-by-Andre-De-Dienes-1015x1024.jpg" alt="Marilyn Monroe exhibition at the National portrait Gallery " class="wp-image-22985" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Marilyn-Monroe-1946-by-Andre-De-Dienes-1015x1024.jpg 1015w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Marilyn-Monroe-1946-by-Andre-De-Dienes-297x300.jpg 297w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Marilyn-Monroe-1946-by-Andre-De-Dienes-150x150.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Marilyn-Monroe-1946-by-Andre-De-Dienes-768x775.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Marilyn-Monroe-1946-by-Andre-De-Dienes.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1015px) 100vw, 1015px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Norma Jeane by André de Dienes</figcaption></figure>



It’s hard to choose, however a wall of photographs by André de Dienes showing a teenage Norma Jeane wrapped in a blanket on the beach are hauntingly beautiful and raw, and a totally different vibe to the platinum movie star she was set to become. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="862" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_150952696-1024x862.jpg" alt="Marilyn Monrose exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery " class="wp-image-22997" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_150952696-1024x862.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_150952696-300x253.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_150952696-768x647.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_150952696.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="681" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Marilyn-Monroe-Mount-Sinai-Long-Island-1955-by-Eve-Arnold-681x1024.jpg" alt="Marilyn Monroe exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery " class="wp-image-22986" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Marilyn-Monroe-Mount-Sinai-Long-Island-1955-by-Eve-Arnold-681x1024.jpg 681w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Marilyn-Monroe-Mount-Sinai-Long-Island-1955-by-Eve-Arnold-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Marilyn-Monroe-Mount-Sinai-Long-Island-1955-by-Eve-Arnold-768x1155.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Marilyn-Monroe-Mount-Sinai-Long-Island-1955-by-Eve-Arnold-1022x1536.jpg 1022w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Marilyn-Monroe-Mount-Sinai-Long-Island-1955-by-Eve-Arnold-1362x2048.jpg 1362w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Marilyn-Monroe-Mount-Sinai-Long-Island-1955-by-Eve-Arnold.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Marilyn reading Ulysses by James Joyce in 1955.</figcaption></figure>



De Dienes&#8217; early images contrast sharply with (previously unseen) photographs taken for Life magazine by Allan Grant at Monroe’s Brentwood home the day before she died in 1962, yet both capture her more contemplative side and I found myself lingering over the seemingly unguarded shots. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="771" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_151642442.MP_-1024x771.jpg" alt="Marilyn Monroe exhibition " class="wp-image-22993" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_151642442.MP_-1024x771.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_151642442.MP_-300x226.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_151642442.MP_-768x578.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_151642442.MP_.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Walking into a room and seeing her on a giant screen singing Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend was also impactful &#8211; after browsing so many photos and paintings, it seemed magical to see her brought to life. A glass cabinet of some of her possessions, such as used face powder, felt oddly intimate, including a silver dress mounted on a mannequin which &#8211; surprisingly tiny for someone often described as fuller-figured. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-don-t-miss">Don’t miss&#8230;</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="651" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/260513_NPG_0073-1-1024x651.jpg" alt="Marilyn Monroe merchandise atNational portrait gallery " class="wp-image-22682" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/260513_NPG_0073-1-1024x651.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/260513_NPG_0073-1-300x191.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/260513_NPG_0073-1-768x488.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/260513_NPG_0073-1.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



The gift shop is loaded with Marilyn Monroe merch and it’s really rather ravishing, from red lipsticks to tote bags. If you want the lowdown before you go, Muddy featured it all as a <a href="https://london.muddystilettos.co.uk/lifestyle/marilyn-monroe-merchandise-national-portrait-gallery/">Gotta Have It</a> recently.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-verdict">Verdict</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="771" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_152112718-771x1024.jpg" alt="Marilyn Monroe " class="wp-image-22995" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_152112718-771x1024.jpg 771w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_152112718-226x300.jpg 226w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_152112718-768x1020.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_152112718-1157x1536.jpg 1157w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260625_152112718.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px" /></figure>



At every turn I found myself falling further under her spell. A heady mix of vulnerability, confidence and sexuality, she used, and was used by, an industry that both adored and destroyed her. The first in a long line of blondes shaking things up, and ultimately paying the price, you get the impression that if Monroe were around today she’d be a trailblazer, reinventing herself constantly, starring in movies, having top ten hits, setting up her own production company and no doubt outshining everyone from Taylor Swift to Madonna.&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2026/marilyn-monroe-a-portrait" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait</a> runs from 4 June-6 September 2026, tickets from £25 off peak. 



By Amanda Statham

Review: Marilyn Monroe exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery

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