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The Marilyn Monroe Century takes a new glimpse at the iconic star, through the lens of Bruno Bernard
Bernard was the photographer behind Marilyn in White, the famed image of Monroe in a white dress standing above a subway grate
The book, curated and created by Bernard’s grandson Joshua John Miller and co-author Mark A. Fortin, debuts just in time for what would have been Monroe’s 100th birthday
Introducing The Marilyn Monroe Century — a tribute to the star, through the lens of the photographer of one of her most famous images.
To celebrate what would have been the iconic Hollywood figure’s 100th birthday, Abrams Books is publishing The Marilyn Monroe Century: From Norma Jeane to Icon — A Story in Photographs. The commemorative book, set to debut in late May 2026, features images by Bruno Bernard — the photographer behind Marilyn in White, the photo of the star in a flowing white dress above a subway grate — that have never been shown publicly until now.
Authors Mark A. Fortin and Joshua John Miller, the latter of whom is Bernard’s grandson, have curated the photographer’s archive on Monroe, alongside his own diary entries and voices from modern Hollywood figures, into a visual biography.
A “landmark tribute to one of the most enduring icons of the 20th century,” the book traces a selection of Monroe’s most memorable moments and reveals bits of untold history in between — including how Bernard impacted Monroe’s rise to stratospheric fame.
A moving version of ‘The Marilyn Monroe Century’
“Bernard was the only photographer who had a profound relationship with the star as Norma Jeane and Marilyn Monroe,” the book’s synopsis reads. “Through Bernard’s lens—and thoughtfully supplemented by the work of other photographers—the book traces Norma Jeane’s transformation into Marilyn Monroe.”
“The result is an untold history revealing the Marilyn Monroe that no one has ever really seen,” the synopsis concludes.
The book’s cover, which PEOPLE can exclusively reveal, features the iconic moment captured in Marilyn in White — but as a lenticular image, the photo actually shifts to depict the whimsical movement of Monroe’s dress.
Authors Miller and Fortin tell PEOPLE in a statement that Bernard “met [Monroe] before the myth existed,” and was one of few who knew her closely as both Norma Jeane and as Marilyn Monroe. The photographer’s record of photographs and conversations illuminate who Monroe was, all these years later, they say.
Courtesy of Bernard of Hollywood Foundation Archive
Marilyn Monroe and Bruno Bernard
Miller says The Marilyn Monroe Century is “deeply personal” to him, just like his grandfather’s work was to the photographer.
“He understood her ambition, vulnerability and intelligence in a way few people did,” Miller tells PEOPLE. “The photographs and conversations he preserved tell a fuller, more human story of who she really was, and on the centenary of her birth, it felt important to finally share that truth.”
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The Marilyn Monroe Century: From Norma Jeane to Icon — A Story in Photographs will debut on May 19, and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.
Read the original article on People
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
