Bert Stern (1929–2013)
Marilyn Monroe, The Last Sitting, 1962
Archival print from the original negatives
37.5 x 26 inches (framed)
Created during the legendary three-day Vogue photo session in June 1962, The Last Sitting remains one of the most celebrated and sought-after photographic portraits of Marilyn Monroe. Photographed by Bert Stern just weeks before Marilyn's death, the session yielded more than 2,500 images and produced an enduring visual record of a woman at once glamorous, playful, vulnerable, and fully aware of her cultural power.
This striking 37.5 x 26-inch framed work is printed from Stern's original negatives and features a contact sheet of nine intimate portraits. Marilyn moves effortlessly between laughter, flirtation, contemplation, and confidence, revealing the extraordinary range that made her one of the most photographed women in history. The vivid orange and red grease-pencil markings, applied during the image-selection process, add a dynamic layer of color and intrigue. Intended to eliminate certain images from publication, these marks instead became an iconic part of the work itself, transforming a photographic proof sheet into a powerful piece of twentieth-century visual art.
As one of the defining images from The Last Sitting, this work occupies a unique place at the intersection of photography, celebrity, and cultural history. Produced from the original negatives and presented at a substantial exhibition scale, it is both a museum-quality photographic work and a highly collectible artifact connected to the final chapter of Marilyn Monroe's life. More than a portrait, it is a tangible piece of Hollywood history—capturing the enduring mystique, humanity, and artistic legacy of one of the world's most recognizable figures.
Available now @Goldin to benefit The Marilyn Monroe Mental Health for the Arts Program
