Nearly a century after her birth and more than six decades after her death, Marilyn Monroe remains one of the most enduring figures in modern pop culture — a Hollywood icon whose image has transcended generations, mediums and even the films that first made her famous. This June, that legacy takes center stage once again as Julien’s Auctions and Turner Classic Movies unveil 100 Years of Marilyn, a sprawling centennial tribute marking what would have been Monroe’s 100th birthday.
Scheduled for June 4, the event will feature a wide-ranging collection of artifacts tied to Monroe’s life and career, including rare photographs, handwritten documents, beauty products and personal belongings from her final Brentwood home in Los Angeles. Many of the items have reportedly never been publicly displayed before, offering a fresh glimpse into the intensely documented — yet still deeply mysterious — life of the actress born Norma Jeane Mortenson.
While celebrity memorabilia auctions are nothing new, Monroe occupies a uniquely mythic place in American culture. Her image has become so universally recognizable that even people unfamiliar with classics like Some Like It Hot or Gentlemen Prefer Blondes instantly recognize the platinum hair, beauty mark and breathy voice that turned her into a global phenomenon. In many ways, Monroe became one of the first modern celebrities — simultaneously worshipped, scrutinized and commodified on an unprecedented scale.
Among the notable items included in the sale is an annotated script from Something’s Got to Give, the unfinished production that became inseparable from the tragic final chapter of her life. The troubled film shut down amid mounting concerns over Monroe’s health and reliability, only weeks before her death in August 1962 at age 36. Officially ruled a probable suicide caused by a barbiturate overdose, Monroe’s death has remained the subject of endless speculation for decades, spawning conspiracy theories involving organized crime figures, Hollywood power brokers and rumored ties to John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy.
The auction also touches on Monroe’s lasting influence on fashion and beauty culture. Several personal makeup items connected to the actress will be offered, reflecting continued fascination with the carefully crafted image that made her one of Hollywood’s defining sex symbols. Long before influencer culture existed, Monroe’s makeup routines, poses and lighting techniques were already shaping beauty standards that still echo across social media platforms today.
Yet Monroe’s appeal has always extended beyond glamour. Historians and film scholars have increasingly revisited her career in recent years, pointing to her intelligence, ambition and frustration with the limitations imposed on women in the studio era. In 1955, she famously broke with 20th Century Studios and formed her own production company, an unusually bold move for a female star at the time. Personal papers and signed contracts included in the collection help illuminate that lesser-seen side of Monroe — one far removed from the simplistic “dumb blonde” persona often projected onto her by the media.
Monroe’s turbulent personal life also contributed to the mythology that continues to surround her. Her marriages to baseball icon Joe DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller fueled relentless tabloid attention, while her now-legendary rendition of “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” at President John F. Kennedy’s Birthday Celebration at Madison Square Garden became one of the most talked-about celebrity appearances in American history.
Over the years, Monroe’s personal belongings have become artifacts of a vanished Hollywood era. Her white halter dress from The Seven Year Itch remains one of the most famous costumes in film history, while photographs, letters and even everyday possessions associated with the actress continue to command enormous public fascination.
That enduring interest speaks less to nostalgia alone than to Monroe’s unusual place in cultural history. She was, at once, a movie star, media invention, fashion icon and tragic figure — someone whose life seemed to foreshadow the modern machinery of celebrity obsession long before the internet amplified it. Nearly 100 years after her birth, Marilyn Monroe remains not just remembered, but continually rediscovered.
The auction will take place on June 4, 2026 at The Peninsula Beverly Hills and online at juliensauctions.com.