Forever Marilyn Explained

Forever Marilyn
Artist:Seward Johnson
Year:2011
Type:Painted steel and aluminum
Height Imperial:26
Imperial Unit:ft
City:Chicago, IL (2011–12)
Hamilton Township, NJ (2014–15)
Bendigo, Australia (2016)
Stamford, CT (2018)
Palm Springs, CA (2012–14, 2021–)
Owner:PS Resorts[1]

Forever Marilyn is a giant statue of Marilyn Monroe designed by Seward Johnson. The statue is a representation of the image of Monroe taken from Billy Wilder's 1955 film The Seven Year Itch. Created in 2011, the statue has been displayed in a variety of locations in the United States, as well as in Australia.

Description

The 26adj=midNaNadj=mid 34000lb sculpture, manufactured of painted stainless steel and aluminium,[2] is a super-sized tribute to Marilyn Monroe's scene from Billy Wilder's 1955 infidelity comedy, The Seven-Year Itch, with the figure capturing the instant a blast of air from a NYC subway grate raises her white dress.[3]

Locations

The statue was displayed at Pioneer Court part of the Magnificent Mile section of Chicago, Illinois. In August and September 2011 the statue was vandalized three times, including being splashed with red paint. According to the executive director of the Chicago Public Arts Group, "In our society, we have little room for sexually expressive images... The social contract doesn't work, because it is itself laden with political meaning, and provocative meaning and sexual meaning."[4]

It was moved in 2012 to the corner of Palm Canyon Drive and Tahquitz Canyon Way in Palm Springs, California.[5] It was given a farewell sendoff during the Palm Springs Village Fest on 27 March 2014,[6] and was then relocated to the Grounds for Sculpture (GFS) in Hamilton, New Jersey as part of a 2014 retrospective honoring Seward Johnson.[2] [7] Due to its popularity, the statue remained on display at the GFS until September 2015, after the official end of the retrospective.[8]

The statue was displayed in 2016 in Rosalind Park in the Australian city of Bendigo in connection with the Bendigo Art Gallery's Marilyn Monroe exhibition.[9]

In 2018, the statue was displayed at Latham Park in Stamford, Connecticut, as part of a large public art exhibition honoring the works of Seward Johnson. Thirty-six sculptures were placed throughout streets and parks in Downtown Stamford, with Forever Marilyn being the highlight of the exhibit.[10] The statue sparked controversy when it was placed in Stamford with complaints arising due to her appearing to flash her underwear at the nearby First Congregational Church.[11] [12] [13]

In September 2019, Palm Springs mayor Robert Moon announced the statue's return to Palm Springs as a permanent fixture after being stored in a dismantled state in New Jersey.[14] On 3 February 2021, it was announced that the statue would be erected on Museum Way just east of the Palm Springs Art Museum with an unveiling date of 18 April 2021. According to the announcement, Forever Marilyn is set to remain in Palm Springs for up to three years: in two years time the statue's local economic impact is scheduled to be reviewed and its future decided.[15] [16] Litigation seeking to block the erection of Forever Marilyn was filled in the California courts.[17] The statue was unveiled on 20 June 2021,[18] with the Riverside County Superior Court dismissing four of the Committee to Relocate Marilyn's purported causes of action on 18 July 2021, with the committee's remaining two purported causes being dismissed by the Riverside County Superior Court on 9 September 2021.[19]

In 2021, the statue was debated on the TV programme Good Morning Britain. The statue was defended from accusations of misogyny by Monroe impersonator Suzie Kennedy.[20]

The city council voted in 2023 to amend the Palm Springs Specific Plan to keep the statue in its current location by vacating a small portion of public right of way to create a parcel for the statue.[21] The mayor announced in July 2024 that the statue would be moved out of the Museum Way view corridor to Downtown Park under an agreement which would avoid future litigation.[22]

Replica

The 8.18meter stainless steel statue was taller than the original. It had been put on display at a Chinese business center in 2013 to highlight the business's international relations.[23] In June 2014, the eight ton statue was photographed in a local Guigang, China garbage dump.[24] This statue is featured twice in the 2017 Chinese drama film, Angels Wear White. It is shown both at the start of the film on full display and as part of the films poignant commentary, at the end of the film, in the process of being discarded in pieces and hauled away.[25]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Cassady . Daniel . February 28, 2023 . 26-Foot Marilyn Monroe Statue Still Causing a Stir Among the Palm Springs Elite . 2023-03-01 . ARTnews .
  2. Web site: The Retrospective Site Map (See: Icons Revisited Series). Groundsforsculpture.org. Grounds for Sculpture. 9 October 2016. 8 July 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170708031801/http://www.groundsforsculpture.org/userAssets/file/sj-retrospective-map.pdf. dead.
  3. Web site: The Seven Year Itch (Trivia). IMDB.com. 29 August 2016.
  4. Reese, Ronnie. Vandals splash Monroe statue with red paint. Chicago Tribune. September 28, 2011. Accessed October 2, 2011.
  5. Web site: Descant . Skip . March 27, 2014 . Forever Marilyn: Palm Springs sets goodbye party . live . 29 August 2016 . The Desert Sun.
  6. Business News: Forever Marilyn to Stay in Palm Springs until Mid-November. The Public Record. July 30, 2013. 37. 32. 3. 0744-205X. 8101482.
  7. Web site: Seward Johnson: The Retrospective . 9 October 2016 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20141005012348/http://www.groundsforsculpture.org/Exhibitions/Seward-Johnson-The-Retrospective . 5 October 2014 .
  8. News: Mancuso . Michael . 29 September 2015 . Goodbye Norma Jean: Forever Marilyn sculpture comes down . 22 August 2016 . NJ.com.
  9. News: Kearney . Mark . 2016-02-02 . Mega Marilyn unwrapped Video . 2024-07-05 . Bendigo Advertiser . en-AU.
  10. Web site: Timeless – The Works of Seward Johnson . 2018-04-11 . Stamford Downtown . en-US.
  11. News: Church Is Taking Appearance Of Gigantic Marilyn Monroe Statue In Stride. Kuruvilla. Carol. 2018-06-11. Huffington Post. 2018-07-30. en-US.
  12. News: Marilyn Monroe Statue Outside Church Gets Tongues Wagging. Cromley. Janet. 2018-06-09. Newser. 2018-07-30. en-US.
  13. Web site: The day in pictures : 15 photographs that made today's news. HeraldScotland.com. 8 June 2018 . en. 2018-07-30.
  14. News: Makinen . Julie . Daniels . Melissa . Metz . Sam . September 25, 2019 . 'Forever Marilyn' statue to return to Palm Springs . live . Desert Sun.
  15. News: Martinez . Taylor . 4 February 2021 . 'Forever Marilyn' Sculpture Nears Return to Downtown Palm Springs . NBC Palm Springs.
  16. News: Rode . Erin . March 20, 2021 . 'Forever Marilyn' unveiling pushed back to April 18 . Desert Sun.
  17. News: Rode . Erin . Court denies latest effort to block Forever Marilyn installation . Desert Sun . USA Today Network . June 1, 2021.
  18. News: 2021-06-25 . Marilyn Monroe statue returns to Palm Springs, to cheers and jeers . 2024-07-05 . Free Malaysia Today . en . Reuters.
  19. News: Cutchin . James B. . September 16, 2021 . Palm Springs' 'Forever Marilyn' statue case dismissed by court, opponents plan appeal . live . Desert Sun.
  20. Web site: Griffin. Louise. 2021-05-26. Marilyn Monroe impersonator hits back at claims statue 'encourages upskirting'. 2021-05-28. Metro. en.
  21. News: Jadulang . Tiani . 2023-12-05 . Palm Springs Amends City Plan For 'Forever Marilyn' Statue . 2023-12-06 . NBC Palm Springs . en-US.
  22. News: Pogrebin . Robin . 2024-08-02 . Icon or Eyesore? Palm Springs to Move Divisive Marilyn Monroe Statue . 2024-08-05 . The New York Times . en-US.
  23. Web site: China's tallest Marilyn Monroe statue dumped. chinadaily.com. 21 June 2014 . 24 April 2023.
  24. Web site: 19 June 2014 . A 26-Foot Marilyn Monroe Sculpture Meets Its End in a Chinese Dump . 24 April 2023 . NBC News.
  25. Web site: Ng . Natalie . 2018-06-13 . Review: Angels Wear White . 2022-04-22 . Filmed in Ether . en-AU.