Milton Greene's Marilyn Monroe archive to auction again in Poland

The second instalment of photographer Milton H Greene's archive of Marilyn Monroe and celebrity photographs is to be offered in Poland on December 17.

The first auction saw the highest total ever achieved in the country for a photograph sale, realising $750,000 and exceeding the expected sum of $680,000 by 10.2%.

Marilyn Monroe Milton H Greene photograph poland auction
This $2,500-valued shot was taken in 1956 but not printed until 1997



The 4,000 photographs featured in the collection were obtained by the Polish government from Chicago businessman Dino Matingas, following a communist-era embezzlement scandal in the 1990s. All profits from the sale will benefit the Polish government as compensation from the affair, with further auctions of the collection expected to follow.

The striking images of Monroe - many of which have not been seen before - were taken by Greene as her friend, adviser and business partner between 1953 and 1957. Shot in both colour and black and white, the majority of the resulting prints were made while Monroe was still alive, increasing their appeal to collectors.

Following the first sale, the auction house's Juliusz Windorbski told the Daily Mail newspaper: "Until now, Greene's photos were sold one by one or in a lot of no more than a few, but never so many at once."

One of the many highlights is a brilliantly natural portrait of Monroe, which is expected to sell for $2,500. The photograph was first taken in 1956, but was never actually printed until 1997. Also featuring are Greene's shots of Judy Garland, Bette Davis, Anita Ekberg, Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra among others.

Paul Fraser Collectibles has a fine selection of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia currently available, including her graduation photo, which shows a smiling 15-year-old Marilyn surrounded by her classmates.

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