- An original 20th Century Fox publicity photo for Marilyn Monroe's 1953 film Niagara.
- Captured by celebrated photographer Frank Powolny.
- Andy Warhol appropriated this image for his celebrated 1960s Marilyn Monroe artworks.
Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe artworks are the 21st Century's Mona Lisa.
Instantly recognisable. The original Pop Art. Warhol used this publicity image for all his Monroe artworks.
Warhol's Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” sold for $195 million in 2022: a 21st century art record. The first Marilyn that Warhol ever created was “Gold Marilyn Monroe”. Produced in 1962, just weeks after her death. MoMA in New York owns it today.
Full details
This is an original gelatin silver print. Published by Fox for use by the press in 1953.
Rare: No other has come up for sale this century.
A publicity portrait for Monroe's 1953 thriller Niagara.
8¼ x 7¾ inches. That’s 20.8 x 19.6cm.
Numbered 'F-999-5-364'.
It is in very good condition, with just one very small crease in the top centre, and some small pin holes (mostly to top) that can easily be framed out. It has aged beautifully.
The pin holes indicate press room use.
Credited in unknown ink hand on the reverse to photographer Frank Powolny.
The photo comes with cast-iron provenance.
James Danziger, the US gallery owner and published author on Monroe, bought the photo from a New York art fair in the 1980s. He then sold it through Christie’s in 2008 at a sale dedicated to his photography collection.
It has remained under the same ownership from 2008 to now.
About the photographer: Frank Powolny
Frank Powolny (1901-1986) was head photographer at 20th Century Fox for more than 40 years. A portrait and set photographer, Powolny captured John Wayne, Shirley Temple, Betty Grable, Humphrey Bogart and Marilyn Monroe, among many others.
He’s among the most collected film photographers today.
"Niagara"
Marilyn Monroe plays Rose, a seductive femme fatale in the 1953 film noir.
Directed by Henry Hathaway, it was the first film to gave Monroe top billing. Indeed, 1953 was the year Monroe became a global star. With Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire further propelling her into the limelight.
So it’s a fitting year for the celebrity-obsessed Warhol to choose.
Original press photographs are soaring in value
There has always been an appreciation for original vintage press photography, but it has only been in the last 15-20 years that we’ve seen prices climb substantially.
That’s due in large part to the realisation that these wonderful photographs are now incredibly rare. Distributed to newspapers, most originals have since been discarded as publications moved their photography stock onto floppy disks in the early 1990s, then into digital archives.
