The flesh-coloured, skin-tight beaded gown Marilyn Monroe wore during her breathless rendition of Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy is going on the auction block this fall.
Julien's Auctions is offering the sequined stunner at a sale in Los Angeles Nov. 17.
The auction house believes the gown could fetch $2 million US to $3 million.
The sultry actress wore the barely-there dress at Kennedy's 45th birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962. Made of silk gauze and covered in thousands of rhinestone beads and sequins, the Jean Louis dress was so form-fitting that Monroe had to be sewn into it.
"She called it skin and beads." - Darren Julien, Julien's Auctions
She died less than three months later of an overdose of sleeping pills at age 36. Kennedy died the following year.
The custom-made, one-of-a-kind dress is "not only Hollywood, but political and historical," said Julien's president Darren Julien.
The flesh-colored dress Marilyn Monroe wore during her rendition of Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy will be up for auction in November. (Julien's Auctions/The Associated Press)
The dress was first purchased 17 years ago at Christie's auction by the late financier Martin Zweig, who kept it in a climate-controlled display case at his Pierre Hotel penthouse in New York. It is being sold by his estate.
"She called it skin and beads," said Julien of the gown. And because the dress "was sewn on Marilyn Monroe, Zweig had it professionally mounted on a mannequin. It's never been off it, and is immaculately preserved."
The dress was last sold at auction in 1999 for $1.26 million, the highest auction price for a Monroe dress to date.
The dress is among some 1,300 Monroe artifacts being offered by Julien's over three days. They include items from the estate of Monroe's acting coach Lee Strasberg and from David Gainsborough-Roberts, a British collector believed to have the largest private collection of Monroe costumes.
"This is the last auction of its kind. When she died Marilyn Monroe left everything to Lee Strasberg," said Julien. "We have the final of his estate items as they relate to Marilyn Monroe. It's literally going to be the last opportunity to ever experience a Marilyn Monroe auction like this again."
Marilyn Monroe's 'Happy Birthday' gown going to auction
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire