DAYTON, OHIO.- The Dayton Art Institute presents an exhibition and one-woman play on the life of Marilyn Monroe, on view through June 24. Marilyn Monroe: Life as a Legend uses a wide range of artists and media to explore the public and private life of one of the world’s most recognizable icons. Through the art of Andy Warhol, Allen Jones, Peter Blake, Richard Avedon, Bert Stern, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and others, this exhibition of nearly 250 photographs, prints, paintings, videos, and sculpture captures Marilyn’s rise to stardom. Nearly 80 artists depict the late movie star in styles ranging from fashion photography to Pop Art.

“To this day, the public continues to have a fascination with Marilyn Monroe,” said J. Bradford Tillson, interim director of The Dayton Art Institute. “This exhibition uses the art of photography, painting and sculpture to celebrate her legendary life. The diversity of the artists represented allows the visitor to relive all aspects of Marilyn’s life, from the young ingenue to one of the most popular film stars of the 1950s.”

Marilyn Monroe: Life as a Legend includes Tom Kelley’s famous Red Velvet Pose for Playboy magazine, Douglas Kirkland’s sensuous bed sheet shots, One Night with Marilyn, and Bert Stern’s Here’s to You, a photograph of Marilyn with champagne glass in hand, celebrating her entrée back into Hollywood.

Marilyn’s most recognizable film moments are depicted, such as the famous subway grate scene with Tom Ewell in The Seven Year Itch, as photographed by Sam Shaw. Ernst Haas’s pensive behind-the-scene shots of Marilyn in The Misfits are also displayed. Numerous contemporary artists, such as Andy Warhol and Mel Ramos, offer their own Marilyn interpretations.

“This exhibition is a must see for any fan of Marilyn Monroe,” commented Tillson. “Fans who lived during Marilyn’s lifetime will recall all of their favorite memories of her. Those who developed a fascination with her years after her death will gain new insights into Marilyn as both a person and a movie screen legend.”

Marilyn Monroe: Life as a Legend was organized by Artoma in Hamburg, Germany and circulated by International Arts & Artists in Washington, DC. The exhibition in Dayton is sponsored by Steve R. Rauch, Inc.

About the Play: In conjunction with the special exhibition, Marilyn Monroe: Life as a Legend, The Dayton Art Institute will present the one-woman play, Marilyn: Forever Blonde. Shortly before her untimely death, Marilyn Monroe posed for what would be her last photo shoot. Marilyn: Forever Blonde recreates Marilyn’s last chance to tell her own story in her own words. Conceived by award-winning producer and writer Greg Thompson, the script has been painstakingly researched from hundreds of quotes by Marilyn herself.

Actress Sunny Thompson gives a funny, sad, witty, titillating, and sometimes, heartbreaking performance as a woman lost in a world of Hollywood make-believe. Performances of MARILYN: Forever Blonde will be offered on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. and Friday evenings at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets for Marilyn Monroe: Life as a Legend and Marilyn: Forever Blonde may be purchased by contacting The Dayton Art Institute at (937) 223-4ART or by visiting www.daytonartinstitute.org.