Tag Archives: Marilyn Monroe

Did you know that Arthur Miller married a photographer?

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I was reading Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” as part of my DIL’s syllabus for her AP English students. I had agreed to read along with her class. I wrote about that HERE and HERE. In the introduction to the play, there was a mention of Inge Morath who married Arthur Miller after his divorce to Marilyn Monroe. I had never heard of Morath. I didn’t know Miller married a photographer.

I had to prepare a presentation to share either my photos with my photography class — or introduce a photographer to my classmates. I looked at Inge Morath’s work and thought “this is it!”

Below is information I used as crib notes to share with the class. I talked off the cuff, but glanced down at the material for reference. I’m not posting my favorite photos of hers, because they are not in the public domain. The Inge Morath Foundation owns them. Instead I’ll post links to her work so you can explore them on your own.

I especially like her iconic llama photo she took for Life magazine, her bicycles in China and her photos from movie set of The Misfits — where she met her husband-to-be Arthur Miller. Miller wrote “The Misfits” for his wife Marilyn Monroe.

Here are the Inge Morath notes*:

Inge Morath (1923–2002) was an Austrian-born photographer known for her intimate and expansive portraits of people and cultures across the globe, who became one of the first female members of the Magnum photo agency. After surviving WWII, she worked as a photo editor before becoming a photographer in 1951, and later co-published several books with her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, whom she married in 1962. Her work includes documenting the sets of films like The Misfits, and capturing intimate portraits of artists, writers, and everyday people. 

  • Early life and career: Morath was born in Austria in 1923 and grew up in Germany during the Nazi era. She became fluent in several languages, and after the war, worked as a translator and journalist. She began her career in photography after working as a photo editor for Magnum, where she learned by studying the work of photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson.
  • Magnum photographer: Morath became a full member of Magnum in 1953 and was a pioneering female photographer in the male-dominated agency. She traveled extensively for her work, documenting life in countries like the Soviet Union and China, often preparing extensively by studying local languages and cultures.
  • Work and style: Her work is characterized by its cosmopolitanism, literary influences, and the intimacy she achieved with her subjects, whether they were famous artists like Louise Bourgeois or actors on a film set. She was known for both large documentary projects and candid, poetic moments, such as the staged but famous “A llama in Times Square” photo, which she documented for Life magazine.
  • Marriage to Arthur Miller: After meeting on the set of The Misfits, she married playwright Arthur Miller in 1962, with whom she had two children, Rebecca and Daniel. They collaborated on several projects, including the books In Russia and Chinese Encounters. Morath continued her own projects throughout their marriage, and she and Miller were married for 40 years until her death in 2002. 

Links to Inge Morath Foundation and Magnum Photo Agency.

*I had copied and pasted pages of information about Inge Morath. I was editing it down to something manageable when AI popped up with the condensed version. I’m terribly anti AI, but in this instance it was a welcome aid! I guess there is some use for AI after all.

If you looked at Inge Morath’s photos, which did you like and why?

What thoughts do you have about AI? Do you think it’s useful or a crutch?

Marilyn wasn’t cancelled after all

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Forever Marilyn statue downtown Palm Springs
Forever Marilyn was located downtown Palm Springs from 2012-2014. She’s back!

After watching cancel culture go after the Marilyn Monroe statue in Palm Springs, I learned something interesting. A local TV station, KESQ TV, took a survey of residents on their opinion of the 26-foot statue unveiled last night downtown Palm Springs amidst supporters and protestors.

Here was one of the questions:

“The statue will be a fun and free attraction for visitors and residents of Palm Springs.” The answers came back with an overwhelming 86% agreement vs 12% disagreement.

Survey shows what residents think of ‘Forever Marilyn’ statue’s return to Palm Springs

Isn’t that interesting? Despite protests and voices against the statue — because some think it’s misogynistic and sexist — most people don’t agree and find it fun and something they like. It makes me believe that the voices wanting to get rid of our past, cancelling Dr. Seuss, Mr. Potato Head, Gone With the Wind, etc. are only aa handful of people. They are not the majority. But they are very vocal and often win out. I see a lot of our corporations being afraid of being canceled and they cave under pressure.

Here’s another question from the survey:

“The statue is offensive and should not be displayed in our City.” The survey ended up with a 13% agree to 83% disagree ratio among those who participated.

Here’s a video from the unveiling yesterday with protestors and supporters:

What are your thoughts about cancel culture? Do you think the people wanting to get rid of our past are in the majority? Or are they a small group of people?

Who wants to cancel Marilyn?

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Marilyn Monroe downtown Palm Springs.
“Forever Marilyn” is being unveiled this weekend amidst protests.

There’s a big brouhaha in my old hometown. The statue called “Forever Marilyn” will be unveiled Sunday evening in downtown Palm Springs, Calif. The 26-foot Marilyn stood near the same site from 2012 to 2014 — and nobody objected. In fact, it was quite the tourist attraction.

Now there’s a protest being organized by Palm Springs’ very own Trina Turk, the famous designer. There are women’s groups from as far away as Los Angeles planning to protest the statue. Good luck to them — the temperature in Palm Springs was 123 degrees yesterday!

What changed from 2012 to 2021 that made Marilyn Monroe controversial?

According to an article in The Desert Sun, the local Gannett paper, “A protest in opposition to the installation is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Museum Way between Museum Drive and Belardo Road, according to a Facebook event created by the Women’s March LA Foundation.” Here are some excerpts from the article:

The foundation’s chapters from the Inland Empire and Riverside along with local organizations are coordinating on the protest, which is meant to “voice our dissent to the statue being installed on Museum Way,” according to Trina Turk, co-head of a participating group called the Committee to Relocate Marilyn.

The installation has been the subject of controversy for months. Some have voiced opposition to the statue’s planned location on Museum Way, while others have decried its general presence in the city as misogynistic and antithetical to Palm Springs’ values. 

Meanwhile, supporters say the statue will drive tourism to the city following months of closures for businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Aftab Dada, chairman of PS Resorts — the hotels association organization that bought the statue and is organizing Sunday’s event —  said the its prior installation in the city from 2012 to 2014 brought “millions and millions of dollars in publicity” and “immensely helped all the businesses in downtown Palm Springs.”

A group under the name “Me Too Marilyn” held a protest against the statue in May. That group’s leader, former Palm Springs Art Museum director Elizabeth Armstrong, has called the statue “hyper-sexualized” and said the Palm Springs City Council did not solicit enough public input before deciding on the Museum Way location.

From ‘Forever Marilyn’ to be unveiled Sunday; protest planned by Women’s March, other groups
James B. CutchinBrian Blueskye Palm Springs Desert Sun

I don’t believe Turk is the one calling for Marilyn to be cancelled. From what I’ve read, her objection is the location. But others think the statue is sexist and misogynist. They don’t want the statue to be up period. For example, the former director for the Palm Springs Art Museum Armstrong is upset because she thinks it encourages “upskirting.” She said the statue will literally be mooning museum visitors.

What are your thoughts about “Forever Marilyn?” Do you think it’s sexist and misogynist? Or do you think it’s a blast from the past of pop culture? Should Marilyn Monroe be cancelled? What are your thoughts about cancel culture?