After Agnès Varda, James Cameron, Wes Anderson, and more recently Orson Welles, the cinema temple in Paris is gearing up to shine a spotlight on a new icon of the seventh art. From girl next door to global sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe, the Hollywood star almost crystallized in the 1950s, is on display this spring at the Cinémathèque française in celebration of her 100th birthday. Join us from April 8 to July 26 to (re)discover Monroe through a fresh lens, celebrating the star but, more importantly, revealing the artist. It's an exciting dive into the history of a Hollywood legend whose influence continues to resonate across generations.
Beyond the sex symbol, the actress
As much disregarded as an interpreter as she is adored as a star, Marilyn Monroe appears on screens during the Technicolor era and quickly becomes a key figure in popular culture. Her glamorous image permeates everywhere: advertising campaigns, a mythical wardrobe, and iconic portraits...
from great artists, from Richard Avedon to Andy Warhol. Gone at just 36 years old, Monroe nevertheless leaves a colossal legacy, becoming a cultural phenomenon as well as a symbol of her time.See this post on Instagram
The exhibition, envisioned as a ballroom culture-inspired installation, aims to go beyond that frozen image. The goal? To put the actress's cinematic performances back in the spotlight. Because behind the caricature of the “naive blonde” often portrayed by Hollywood –de Gentlemen Prefer Blondes à Some Like it Hot – Monroe truly shines as a subtle comedienne, skillfully playing with codes and turning them on their head. It’s a delightful reminder that her roles, which were often pushed to the background behind her sex-symbol image, play a vital part in the story of cinema.
Deconstructing a Hollywood Myth
Long seen as a symbol of naivety or just a glamorous model, Marilyn Monroe was also one of the greatest victims of the Hollywood star system. The exhibition highlights what the actress represented in 1950s America: a society that was both puritanical and fascinated by sexuality, where her pin-up image captured all the contradictions.
Becoming a model quickly elevates Monroe above her humble beginnings. In less than a year, she finds herself gracing the covers of many magazines and becomes one of the most famous faces in the world. But when...sque The actress tries to break free from this image by seeking out more complex roles (like in Bus Stop by Joshua Logan), her public image becomes more fragile. It's as if her artistic ambitions are seen as a transgression. Her sudden disappearance and the scattering of her belongings, now in the hands of private collectors and billionaires, also help to feed the legend.
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The exhibition confronts this mythic narrative, often tinged with a fascination for the death of a young woman who became an eternal icon. Through rare archives, personal objects, and critical analyses, it invites us to rediscover Marilyn Monroe in a new light: not just as a Hollywood myth, but as a complete artist in her own right.
Marilyn Monroe
La Cinémathèque française
51, rue de Bercy – 12e
From April 8 to July 26, 2026
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