Everyone knows Marilyn Monroe. Icon, muse, Hollywood actress, sex symbol, Marilyn has been labeled many things… Sometimes to the detriment of her talent, which was not always recognized for its true value… Nearly 100 years after her birth, the Cinémathèque Française retraces the destiny of this extraordinary artist.
A unique exhibition on Marilyn Monroe at the Cinémathèque in Paris
Marilyn Monroe was a former pin-up girl, an icon of the 1950s known for her beauty… but she was also , above all, a talented actress who suffered for too long from a sexy and sometimes demeaning image as “the dumb blonde,” widely exploited by the studios to the detriment of her work as an actress. With this exhibition, the Cinémathèque Française seeks to highlight a whole new aspect of this cinema icon, focusing on her sense of drama and composition.
A true architect of her own career, you will learn how much Marilyn took her roles to heart and spent a lot of time preparing for them, while expressing a varied and subtle range of emotions on screen. Contrary to what her collaborators said, Marilyn was not herself in her roles. She played each character and always wanted to improve her acting, as the exhibition shows during her time at the Actors Studio, where she wanted to give depth to her characters.
Through this wonderful exhibition, you will discover the full extent of her talent and the finesse of her acting through her cult roles ! But you will also understand how much the real Marilyn, behind the glitz and glamour and the influence of pop culture, is still largely unknown to the general public today . A rich exhibition that will fascinate you and which you can discover until July 26.
Location: 51 rue de Bercy, 75012 Paris
Dates: April 8 to July 26, 2026