The story behind the s**iest photos of Marilyn Monroe that no one wanted to buy
They were taken by Douglas Kirkland in November 1961. The lot auctioned by Christie's did not have the expected success
A bottle of the best French champagne, a Swedish camera, German lenses, Indian silk sheets and a promising Canadian photographer. Also, a Frank Sinatra vinyl record about to go out and enchant. The scene, in a small apartment rented for a handful of dollars, was waiting for an American actress. It was November 1961, winter was beginning and darkness stalked the evenings from early in any corner of Hollywood, where the photo shoot for the 25th anniversary of Look magazine was to take place, with one of the greatest icons of the entertainment industry.
The photographer was Douglas Kirkland, then 27 years young. He had thought of all the details. The model, none other than Marilyn Monroe, arrived (very) late for the appointment, two hours late, testing the host's nerves and pulse. She was 35 years old in his calendar and at the top of her career. She was unattainable. The woman appeared in the most erotic dreams of millions of men and women, powerful and mortal, around the entire planet. And Kirkland immortalized her in some extremely sensual images.
N*k3d, lying on a precarious bed, with only a pillow to hug and white sheets partially covering her, Monroe gave herself completely to the successive 50 and 150 millimeter Carl Zeiss lenses assembled to the eternal casing of her Hasselblad depending on the momentum of the scene. The light that Marilyn radiated reflected her new life after another love failure: recently moved to Los Angeles and far from the frenetic incessant movement of New York. Also, single.
“As soon as Marilyn saw me, she gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and, without wasting a second, she headed to the dressing room. Once she was lying on the bed, and covering her breasts with the blanket, she asked our companions to leave us alone. It was an unexpected decision that changed the course of events," Kirkland recalled... now less nervous at 85 years old, to Fuera de Serie, from Expansión.
But nine months later, the beautiful woman would appear again n@k3d in a bed with white sheets. Now in her home in Brentwood Heights, in L.A. However, this time, face down and with her eyes closed forever. The greatest female icon in North American history gave rise to myth, to legend. The image of her lifeless body also remained engraved in the retina of generations forever. Kirkland would prefer to remember her as he had immortalized her.
On October 29, 58 years after those shots without flash, Christie's in its New York headquarters offered at auction the lot with the original photographs and the Canadian's camera. Also two copies of Look. "It is not only about extraordinarily sensual and original images from the Marilyn catalogue, but also two of the last snapshots taken of her in her life," said Becky MacGuire, the auction's sales director.
However, despite speculation about the photographic treasure, no one bid on the lot. No one wanted the memory of that woman who mixed sensuality and innocence in poisonous mixtures.
Kirkland continues her account of that unforgettable night. “This was, of course, very exciting for me as a young man. I mean, I was there with Marilyn Monroe in front of me. She was within arm's reach, twisting and turning under that sheet, which was semi-transparent,” she says excitedly in a note given to Christie's website.
The photographer recalls the different Marilyns he met during those weeks, before and after the photos. The first was innocent and enthusiastic. She was the one who accepted and was enthusiastic about each of the artist's proposals. Another, the one from the magical night, the one with "sensual and s**y beauty that every red-blooded man was in love with." Finally, "there was the darkest and saddest woman with whom I sat down to review my photos a week later. I was never with the same person twice."
Contrary to what some thought of those hours of raw sensuality, Kirkland swears: "I would like to tell her that something happened between us, but the truth is that there is nothing to tell: everything happened with absolute professionalism."
