in Toulouse a photo exhibition paints a sensitive portrait of Marylin Monroe

62 years after her death, Marilyn Monroe, icon of cinema and glamor, still fascinates as much. In Toulouse the exhibition entitled “Maryline Monroe, the secret of America” traces the history of the actress. It brings together more than 200 photos (some previously unpublished) as well as original objects that belonged to the star.

A unique story, rare anecdotes and large format photos. The exhibition Maryline Monroe, America’s secret, to be seen until November 3, is set in the Bazacle spaces of Toulouse, an atypical place dedicated as much to the hydraulic industry as to culture or the preservation of the environment. Imagined by the historian David Lawrence, it shows the woman who hides behind the icon.

And it all begins in California, where Norma Jeane Baker grew up. An absent father, a sick mother, the little girl experiences the orphanage before being transformed in the 1940s. Norma Jeane becomes Marylin, the Hollywood star admired around the world. In his eyes, the wounds of childhood remain.

Through a chronological journey, the exhibition highlights another facet of the American star. “We talk about women and discover them in another aspect, explains Franck Darthou, director of EDF hydro Sud-Ouest. We obviously see the star, but we discover Mayrlin Monroe passionate about literature, passionate about painting, Rodin, Van Gogh. It is this lighting which is truly interesting in this exhibition.”