BERT STERN
In 1962 Bert Stern is a photographer known for his portrait skills: he is an icon hunter and manages to immortalize several movie stars. On the plane back from Rome, where he photographed Liz Taylor on the set of “Cleopatra,” he cherishes a dream, that of photographing Marilyn Monroe. As soon as he arrives in New York, he proposes to Vogue the idea of doing a photo report on the actress whom Stern himself will call “The first American love goddess.” The magazine’s editorial staff enthusiastically accepts the proposal.
Events quickly unfold, Marilyn agrees to pose for him, and Stern’s dream comes true. The photographer chooses a suite at the Bel-Air hotel in Los Angeles as his set. The light is minimal and Stern waits for Marilyn uneasily since the actress is known for her strange behavior and tantrums. After a five-hour delay Marilyn shows up at the hotel and it all begins. She agrees to pose naked and without makeup. The result is outstanding, but the images are too osées for Vogue, which proposes to Stern to photograph her again, this time in makeup and clothes. After she died, a day before the photos were released in Vogue.
The photo shoot consists of 2571 photos taken over three days and is known as “The Last Sitting,” the last shoot of the great diva before her death, fully published in a large volume edited by Taschen.
In these shots Marilyn captured the imagination definitively, not as a sex symbol, but as a work of art: wonderful, tragic, forever 36 years old.
The Paci contemporary gallery, signing an agreement with the Stern Foundation, is from 2025, the artist’s exclusive dealer for Europe.
Marilyn Monroe Crucifix III from “The Last Sitting”
1962
Digital Print
cm 56 x 56 ca. / inches 22 x 22 ca.
Marilyn Monroe Crucifix II from “The Last Sitting”
1962
Digital Print
cm 112 x 112 ca. / inches 44 x 44 ca.
Marilyn Monroe Pink roses from “The Last Sitting”
1962
Digital Print
cm 102 x 76 ca. / inches 40 x 30 ca.
Marilyn Monroe Yellow Roses from “The Last Sitting”
1962
Digital Print
cm 102 x 76 ca. / inches 40 x 30 ca.
Marilyn Monroe Blue Roses, from “The Last Sitting”
1962
Digital Print
cm 102 x 76 ca. / inches 40 x 30 ca.
Marilyn Monroe Red Scarf, from “The Last Sitting”
1962
Digital Print
cm 81 x 81 ca. / inches 32 x 32 ca.
Marilyn Monroe Looking Over Shoulder, Black Dior Dress, from “The Last Sitting”
1962
Digital Print
cm 102 x 81 ca. / inches 40 x 32 ca.
Marilyn Monroe Laughing from “The Last Sitting”
1962
Digital Print
cm 102 x 81 ca. / inches 40 x 32 ca.
Marilyn Monroe Hand on Face from “The Last Sitting”
1962
Digital Print
cm 102 x 81 ca. / inches 40 x 32 ca.
Marilyn Monroe Crucifix IV from “The Last Sitting”
1962
Digital Print
cm 147 x 147 ca. / inches 58 x 58 ca.
Marilyn Monroe Biting Pink Scarf from “The Last Sitting”
1962
Digital Print
cm 53 x 53 ca. / inches 21 x 21 ca.
Marilyn Monroe, Surrender, Black Dior dress, from “The Last Sitting”
1962
Digital Print
cm 66 x 61 ca. / inches 24 x 26 ca.
Marilyn Monroe Red Scarf from “The Last Sitting”
1962
Digital Print
cm 137 x 137 ca. / inches 54 x 54 ca.
Marilyn Monroe from “The Last Sitting”
1962
Digital Print
cm 50 x 50 ca. / inches 20 x 20 ca.
Marilyn Monroe from “The Last Sitting”
1962
Digital Print
cm 50 x 50 ca. / inches 20 x 20 ca.
