The Marilyn He Knew. A Photographer and Friend’s Close and Candid Moments with Marilyn Monroe.
“My point of view in photography is to tell a story. This is a Marilyn story. The Marilyn I knew. The many faces of Marilyn. The many stages of her career—from bit starlet, to out of work, to bit player, to featured player, to star, to superstar, to producer. In and out of two marriages. Her independence. Her search for herself. She enjoyed life to the hilt while she had it.”
These are the words of Sam Shaw and now the preface to an aptly titled book, Dear Marilyn The Unseen Letters and Photographs, published by ACC Art Books. Sam Shaw was a talented photographer who documented the world of Marilyn Monroe through the lens of his camera at the height of her career. But Sam Shaw was more than just a photographer doing his job capturing images of a Hollywood icon. With just a camera between them, Shaw became a close and trusted friend to the starlet, gaining a rare look inside her inner world.
The rare images in the book show a side of Marilyn that we’ve rarely seen before. Far from the glitz and glamour, Shaw saw her at her most vulnerable and natural. He set out to capture her most innocent, playful and charming moments that were only seen in personal moments. He said, “The actress, the artist, the creator of that lovely sophisticated comedic character. So believable that professionals, peers and the public still believe that’s what she was.” Through his work, he sought to show a softer side of the blonde bombshell everyone clamored to know but few would ever really see for who she was. “I want to show her as she really was, without makeup, with-out putting it on. Kidding, satirizing her own created self,” he said.
There were in fact many sides to Marilyn, said Shaw. “The sweet and innocently naïve. The joyful fun. The cornball wit. Student of acting. Student of theatre and film. Student of Life. Wife. The star who was always accepted by the public. The star accepted by the aristocracy of Hollywood. A tough street fighter with a will of iron.”
This book is a homage to Marilyn Monroe from her trusted confidante and friend. Through the photos, it’s clear that Shaw and Marilyn shared a great report and synergy. Pure trust and abandonment is shown throughout the photos. “My photos of Marilyn were shot during lovely, joyous moments in the prime of her life. Out of work, at work, in love, out of love. These photos are my personal record of many key moments of our friendship—isolated mosaics of images coming together. I didn’t realize when creating them they would someday be assembled into a unity, like a family album. Even a simple snapshot has deep significance” said Shaw.
Beyond the photos, other found treasures presented in the book are rare letters from Shaw and Marilyn that Shaw’s family discovered after his death in 1999. In reading the letters they realized the bond between the two artists, one a sultry scene stealer and the other behind the camera. The Shaw family wanted to present this unique vision only Sam Shaw knew on the centennial of Marilyn Monroe’s death. “Our hope is that these new insights from our father, many of which are revealed here for the first time, will refresh and reframe our collective appreciation of Marilyn in an honest, uplifting, and celebratory light. After all, that was how Sam Shaw always saw her,” the Shaw family says.
This book of photos and letters is a treasure for any fan of Marilyn Monroe, photography or stories of friendship. In Dear Marilyn, The Unseen Letters and Photographs, Sam Shaw is finally showing the world the Marilyn he knew while the world can now see the work of an artist Marilyn knew.
Elizabeth Hazard
Sam Shaw : Dear Marilyn The Unseen Letters and Photographs
ACC Art Books
Couverture rigide
28,5 x 32,5 cm
240 pages
Illustrations : 77 couleurs, 180 noir et blanc
ISBN : 9781788843331
$65.00
https://www.accartbooks.com/us/book/dear-marilyn/
