Marilyn Monroe — Behind the Curtain of Desire, Los Angeles, California, 1960. (watermarks do not appear on the actual photograph.)
Marilyn Monroe — Behind the Curtain of Desire, Los Angeles, California, 1960. (verso)
Eve Arnold
Printed 1973
19.1 x 14 cm
“© Eve Arnold. Reprint 1973. Return to Archive.”
Studio Portrait by Eve Arnold, Los Angeles, California, 1960
An original vintage color photograph depicting Marilyn Monroe during an intimate studio session photographed in Los Angeles, California in 1960 by celebrated Magnum photographer Eve Arnold.
Seen seated backwards on an ornate iron chair, Monroe turns gently away from the camera while glancing over her shoulder with a soft, almost private smile. Draped only in flowing white fabric, the image reveals a rare balance between vulnerability and sensual elegance — capturing the quiet intimacy behind the public legend. The minimalist studio setting and graceful composition transform the photograph into a timeless study of beauty, glamour, and human emotion.
Eve Arnold was among the few photographers granted unusually close access to Marilyn Monroe, producing some of the most sensitive and psychologically revealing images ever made of the actress. Their collaboration resulted in photographs that moved beyond publicity portraiture and into the realm of fine art and documentary history.
The verso bears the typed archive notation:
“© Eve Arnold. Reprint 1973. Return to Archive.”
Photographer: Eve Arnold
Date of Original Image: 1960
Printed: 1973
Medium: Vintage color photograph
Size: 7.5 x 5.5 inches
A beautifully intimate Marilyn Monroe portrait by one of the twentieth century’s most important photographers — preserving the fragile elegance and enduring mystique of Hollywood’s greatest icon.
Images of Marilyn Monroe by Eve Arnold remain among the most collectible twentieth-century celebrity photographs due to their rarity, artistic quality, and historical importance.
Provenance
Gallagher’s Paper & Collectibles, New York City - a well-known dealer specializing in vintage movie memorabilia, Hollywood photography, and entertainment collectibles.Estate of a Private Collector, Baltimore, Maryland.