Images of Marilyn Monroe by Her Last Surviving Photographer to Be Exhibited

An upcoming exhibition will feature photographs of Marilyn Monroe taken by Lawrence Schiller, the last living professional photographer to have worked with the Hollywood icon.

Schiller is the last surviving professional photographer to have worked with Monroe. He even saw the actress on the morning of August 4, 1962, the day she died at age 36, to discuss an upcoming photo shoot.

To mark the centennial of Monroe’s birth in 1926, The New York Historical will present Marilyn Monroe Centennial: Photographs by Lawrence Schiller, which will be on display from November 20, 2026, through March 28, 2027.

Although Monroe’s image has been reproduced countless times during her lifetime and in the decades since her death, the exhibition offers a closer look at how she managed her career and public image. Featuring 36 of Schiller’s photographs alongside his personal recollections, the exhibition explores Monroe’s efforts to shape how she was seen by the public.

The New York Historical’s photo exhibition juxtaposes the star’s on-camera and off-camera persona with images taken by photojournalist Schiller on two film sets, Let’s Make Love in 1960 and Monroe’s last and unfinished film Something’s Got to Give in 1962.

‘Photographers Can be Easily Replaced’

While on assignment in Los Angeles for Look and Paris Match magazines, Schiller, then a young photographer, found Monroe to be a knowledgeable collaborator rather than simply a subject. Keenly aware of the power of imagery, Monroe showed Schiller how best to capture her.

“You’re already famous, now you’re going to make me famous,” Schiller said to Marilyn in 1962 as he and Monroe discussed the photos he was about to take of her on the set of Something’s Got to Give.

“Don’t be so cocky,” Monroe replied, “photographers can be easily replaced.”

Among the photographs on display is a series Schiller took during production of Something’s Got to Give. During a scene filmed on a closed set, Monroe spontaneously decided to remove the light nude-colored bikini bottoms she had been given and resurface naked. The resulting images, showing Monroe in the film’s swimming pool, appeared on magazine covers in more than 30 countries, including the cover of Life magazine.

Other photographs in the exhibition explore several defining aspects of Monroe’s 16-year, 30-film career in Hollywood. These include her efforts to be recognized as a serious actor, her relationships with acting coaches Lee and Paula Strasberg, and her attempts to gain greater control over her career. During her career, Monroe’s efforts to challenge the traditional studio system and become one of the first women in Hollywood to establish her own production company.

“Marilyn Monroe remains the definition of an icon, a sparkling presence on screen and a powerful storyteller in her own right who fought against the forces of her time,” Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of The New York Historical, says in a statement. “While it’s true that Marilyn Monroe experienced great adversity and exploitation in her time, she also displayed remarkable resilience, sharp instincts, and physical mastery to ensure the camera captured her to her best advantage.

Dr Mirrer adds: “This exhibition attempts to showcase that agency through Lawrence Schiller’s exceptional photography, enlightening personal stories, and archival analysis drawn from our extensive collections.”

More information about The New York Historical’s upcoming exhibition Marilyn Monroe Centennial: Photographs by Lawrence Schiller can be found here.