The British Film Institute (BFI) and the National Portrait Gallery have announced two major exhibitions to celebrate the centenary of Marilyn Monroe’s birth. The BFI will host a two-month film season titled 'Marilyn Monroe: Self Made Star,' featuring a comprehensive look at her filmography and a theatrical re-release of her final film, *The Misfits*. Simultaneously, the National Portrait Gallery will present 'Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait,' an exhibition exploring her influence on visual culture through works by artists like Andy Warhol and Richard Avedon, including rare photographs taken just before her death.
These exhibitions aim to deconstruct Monroe’s status as a mere sex symbol or tragic figure, instead positioning her as a 'creative pioneer' and a 'triple threat' who exerted significant control over her career. By highlighting her work as a producer—being the first woman since the silent era to start her own production company—and her technical skill as a performer, the institutions seek to shift the public focus from her commodified image to her actual artistic contributions and agency within the Hollywood studio system.