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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Intimate pictures of Marilyn Monroe - and a portrait of Linda Lovelace naked in cling wrap: Unpublished images by photographer Milton Greene go up for auction

Marilyn Monroe from sitting for Look, unpublished sitting, $1,000 - $2,000
Marilyn Monroe wearing Milton Greene's wife's long black sweater, shot for Look but remained unpublished during Monroe¿s lifetime until featured in the January 1997 issue of Playboy. These particular images have never been published $1,000 - $2,000Thousands of Milton Greene's unpublished photographs of Hollywood's most iconic women, from Marilyn Monroe to Elizabeth Taylor and Linda Lovelace, will go up for auction this week.
California auction house Profiles in History are putting nearly 70,000 images from Greene's estate under the hammer - many of which have never been seen before.
'Because he worked before modern digital methods of archiving and restoration, much of what he shot remained unpublished,' the auction notes explain of the images, which are estimated to sell for between $1,000 and $5,000.
Marilyn Monroe from Trestlesitting in Weston, Connecticut, dated December 1955, $3,000 - $5,000
Intimate and unseen: Thousands of Milton Greene's unpublished photographs, many of which were taken of Marilyn Monroe from 1953 to 1957, will go up for auction this week
Greene, who died in 1985 after four decades of fashion photography for publications like Life, Harper's Bazaar, and Vogue, is best known for his intimate photographs of Monroe.
 

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It was 1953 when Look magazine editor Fleur Cowles lured Greene away from Life, where he had established a reputation for delivering incredible cover-worthy images.
The photographer's first assignment was a trip to California to shoot Hollywood stars, and when Greene sent Monroe proofs from their first sitting, 'she responded with two dozen roses and called to say they were the most beautiful pictures she had ever seen.'
Linda Lovelace, dated November 1973 after Lovelace filmed Deep Throat, entirely unseen until now, $2,000 - $3,000
Linda Lovelace: Dated November 1973 after sje filmed Deep Throat, this image was entirely unseen until now and is set to fetch $3,000 at auction
Elizabeth Taylor at the Hermitage, St. Petersburg from The Blue Bird for cover of People, 1975, $2,000 - $3,000
Elizabeth Taylor: Photographed at the Hermitage, St. Petersburg from The Blue Bird set for cover of People, set to sell for between $2,000 and $3,000
Audrey Hepburn with Mel Ferrer from War and Peace (Paramount, 1956) for Look, August 1955, $2,000 - $3,000
Audrey Hepburn: Off duty images from the set of War and Peace for Look, August 1955, priced at $3,000

Jane Fonda in Malibu for Marie Claire, May 1965, $2,000 - $3,000
Jane Fonda: The sultry actress pictured in Malibu for Marie Claire, May 1965, $3,000
Claudia Cardinale for Life, dated 1963, $2,000 - $3,000
Claudia Cardinale: Greene shot her for for Life in 1963
Greene's association with the blond bombshell spanned four years (1953-1957), where he served as her protector, adviser, confidant and collaborator. In 1955, Monroe spent her one year hiatus from Hollywood living with Greene and his family at their Weston, Connecticut farmhouse.
The 3,700 camera negatives comprising the Monroe portion of Greene's archive represents the largest sequence from the actress’ mature working life ever put up for public sale.
Marilyn Monroe from sitting for Look, unpublished sitting, $1,000 - $2,000
Marilyn Monroe: An image from an unpublished sitting for Look magazine

Marilyn Monroe wearing Milton Greene's wife's long black sweater, shot for Look but remained unpublished during Monroe¿s lifetime until featured in the January 1997 issue of Playboy. These particular images have never been published $1,000 - $2,000
Marilyn Monroe: Shot for Look, unpublished during Monroe's lifetime until some of the images were featured in the January 1997 issue of Playboy; these particular images have never been published, however

Marilyn Monroe in Laurel Canyon for Look in September 1953, $1,000 - $2,000
Marilyn Monroe: Pictured in Laurel Canyon for Look in September 1953
Marilyn Monroe from Graduation sitting for The Prince and the Showgirl, June 1956, Hollywood preparing costume and make-up for production, Monroe told Greene she had never had a proper graduation and produced this sitting for her, $1,000 - $2,000
Marilyn Monroe: From a sitting titled Graduation in June 1956, after Monroe told Greene she had never had a proper graduation, he produced this sitting for her
Marilyn Monroe Tennis Sweater sitting in Weston, Connecticut, January 1956, $1,000 - $2,000
Marilyn Monroe: Intimate snaps from the Tennis Sweater sitting in Weston, Connecticut, taken in January 1956
Along with Richard Avedon at Harper’s Bazaar and Irving Penn at Vogue, Greene's eye for beauty turned simple portraits into sophisticated, high-fashion images.
He also photographed screen legends like Doris Day, Catherine Deneuve, Lauren Hutton, Audrey Hepburn and French actress and dancer Leslie Caron, best known for her roles in An American in Paris and Gigi.

Agnès Laurent for Life, March 1963, $1,000 - $2,000
Agnès Laurent: From a selection of images Greene shot for Life in March 1963

Audrey Hepburn with Mel Ferrer from War and Peace (Paramount, 1956) for Look, August 1955, $2,000 - $3,000
Audrey Hepburn:On the set of War and Peace for Look in August 1955


Barbra Streisand from Funny Girl, March 1964, for cover of Life, $3,000 - $5,000
Barbra Streisand: Snapped at a full dress rehearsal of Funny Girl in March 1964, for Life

Catharine Deneuve for Life, August 1962, $2,000 - $3,000
Catharine Deneuve: Quirky images for Life taken in August 1962

Jane Fonda in Malibu for Marie Claire, May 1965, $2,000 - $3,000
Jane Fonda: The sultry actress pictured in Malibu for Marie Claire, May 1965, $3,000

Ali MacGraw for Life by Milton Greene, May 1965, $2,000 - $3,000
Ali MacGraw: From a handful of images for Life taken in May 1965

Barbra Streisand from Funny Girl, March 1964, for cover of Life, $3,000 - $5,000
Barbra Streisand: Snapped at a full dress rehearsal of Funny Girl in March 1964, for Life

And in 1973, after Linda Lovelace filmed Deep Throat, Greene shot the actress naked wrapped in plastic wrapped for an unpublished project - images entirely unseen until now.
Greene, who pursued perfection of his subjects through minimal means, was often quoted as saying: 'If you can’t light it with one light, then you can’t light it.'
His magical eye for natural and reduced lighting, and his extraordinary rapport and trust with his subjects, with whom he formed many life-long friendships, are what make his images infinitely timeless.
                                
 
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