Marilyn Monroe Owned

Marilyn Monroe's pink dress wasn't called anything in particular when it debuted in 1953. However, some people now call it the "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" dress, after the name of the film in which she sported the strapless pink piece. Others refer to it as the pink Travilla dress in honor of the man who designed it, William Travilla. On 1stDibs, find a large selection of vintage dresses from some of the world's top boutiques.

William Travilla designed Marilyn Monroe's pink dress. The iconic strapless dress appeared in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. An accomplished costume designer, Travilla won an Academy Award for his work on the 1948 film The Adventures of Don Juan and was nominated for Oscars three more times across his career. Explore a variety of William Travilla apparel on 1stDibs.

William Travilla designed Marilyn Monroe's white dress. The actress wore the now-iconic dress in the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch. A celebrated costume designer, Travilla also created dresses for seven other Monroe films, including How to Marry a Millionaire and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. In recognition of his work, the designer was nominated for several Academy and Emmy awards, and he won an Oscar for the costumes featured in the 1948 film Adventures of Don Juan. Explore a range of William Travilla apparel on 1stDibs.

Andy Warhol painted Marilyn Monroe as a commentary on the media and celebrity culture. The American artist was quick to jump on mass media’s penchant for treating glamour and tragedy with equal weight. Monroe’s suicidal overdose in 1962 was ideal fodder, and he reproduced her visage dozens of times, first painting the canvas with splotches of pigment to denote her hair, eyeshadow and lips, then printing the black photographic silkscreen, taken from a 1953 publicity still, on the surface, either alone, doubled or repeated in a grid. By reproducing her image, Warhol sought to show how Monroe's fame and status as a sex symbol transformed her from being an individual person to a mass-market commodity. His work provided a sharp rebuke to the media's obsessive intrusion into the lives of celebrities. On 1stDibs, shop a selection of Andy Warhol art.

How much Marilyn Monroe's pink dress is worth today isn't fully known. In 2010, the iconic strapless dress the starlet wore in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes sold for around $370,000. If it were to return to auction, it may sell for even more. In 2024, a much less famous pink dress that Monroe sported for a Vogue photoshoot with photographer Bert Stern sold for $325,000. Find a large collection of vintage and contemporary dresses on 1stDibs.

In 1967, Andy Warhol began publishing a series of screen prints through his printing company, Factory Additions. Using a publicity image of Marilyn Monroe, Warhol printed 10 images from five screens: one was the original photograph and four others emphasized different areas of color to reflect Monroe’s vibrant personality. Browse a selection of Andy Warhol art, prints and photos from some of the world’s top dealers on 1stDibs.

Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe is worth around $195 million. That's how much the silk-screen portrait sold for at an auction in 2022. The sale made history, as the price tag was a new record for the American Pop artist. Warhol's Marilyn series sought to critique society's fixation with glamor and fame, themes he returned to many times during his career. On 1stDibs, shop a collection of Andy Warhol art.

Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe piece called the Marilyn Diptych. Warhol created the silkscreen painting in 1962 weeks after she died. It includes 50 images of the starlet in color and black and white. Find a variety of Andy Warhol art on 1stDibs.