The American photographer Bert Stern worked for Vogue in 1962, and written into his contract was a 10-page photo essay on a subject of his choice. Stern chose America’s blonde bombshell, Marilyn Monroe, and for a shoot in June asked her to the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles. The photographs are still provocative today.

The legendary photographs of Marilyn Monroe from Bert Stern’s “The Last Sitting” are the subject of this exhibition at Staley-Wise Gallery. Indeed, very few photo shoots are legendary, one above all the others checks all the boxes : Marilyn Monroe and Bert Stern at the Bel Air Hotel for VOGUE in 1962.

Marilyn Monroe died on August 4, 1962 - only a few weeks after “The Last Sitting” photographs were taken.  When her death was announced, VOGUE immediately re-designed the upcoming September 1962 issue to commemorate Marilyn’s life and Bert Stern’s photographs from this shoot opened the feature in the magazine.