At the intersection of Hollywood glamour and honest storytelling, one relationship stands apart: that of photographer Eve Arnold and her most enduring subject, Marilyn Monroe. Their collaboration defied the conventions of celebrity photography, replacing artifice with intimacy and shaping a visual narrative that remains among the most humanizing portrayals of Monroe to date.

Eve Arnold wasn’t interested in spectacle. As Magnum Photos’ first female member, she built her career not by chasing fame but by quietly embedding herself in the lives of her subjects - whether migrant workers, civil rights leaders, or starlets. And Monroe, despite her global stardom, was searching for someone who would see past the myth. Arnold did exactly that.

Their first session, in 1951, was an editorial shoot that might have been forgettable in anyone else’s hands. But Arnold’s approach, casual, warm, and disarming, made an impression. Over the next decade, the two would come together for multiple sessions, each revealing more of Monroe’s inner world. There was a trust between them, and through Arnold’s lens, we glimpse the woman behind the icon: barefoot reading James Joyce, quietly applying makeup, alone on set, eyes distant.

One of their most famous collaborations came in 1960 during the filming of The Misfits. Arnold was given unrestricted access behind the scenes - a rarity in Hollywood. The resulting images are a masterclass in vulnerability. Monroe appears both luminous and worn, caught between performance and exhaustion, at once present and slipping away. Arnold’s photographs resist spectacle and invite empathy.

What makes these images timeless isn’t just their aesthetic beauty - it’s their emotional resonance. Arnold never tried to “fix” Monroe into a narrative. Instead, she allowed space for contradiction: beauty and sadness, charm and loneliness, power and fragility. Through Eve Arnold, Monroe was finally allowed to be whole.

At 1905 Contemporary, we celebrate image-makers who challenge expectations, who bring fresh eyes to familiar subjects, and who honor the complexity of their subjects. Arnold’s work with Monroe reminds us that even in the most photographed faces, there’s still something deeper to be seen - if we take the time to look.

1905, Telling stories one image at a time.