Keen interest in Poland for a unique collection of photos of Marilyn Monroe

Collectors and new admirers of Marilyn Monroe tributary to an exhibition of works by American photographer Milton Greene, of his shots, including numerous open in Warsaw before the auction next week of the Hollywood star.

“The interest of collectors is huge;” “nothing surprising, this is an exceptional event”, said to AFP Juliusz Windorbski, president of the auction house Desa Unicum at the Tuesday night opening.

“So far, photos of Green appeared in sales by units or by batches of a few parts, but in such a quantity ever.” There we have nearly 240 photos; This will be the largest sale of his pictures, he said. “It is also the largest ever sale of art objects in Poland”, he added.

The auction will take place on 8 November. The starting price for the photos of Marilyn range from 500 zlotys (approximately CDN $156) to 8000 zlotys (approximately CAN $4280).

In addition to those of Marilyn, pictures of Liza Minelli, Marlene Dietrich, Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn will be also put on sale.

These pictures are part of a collection of nearly 4000 shots, arrived in Poland in July. They belong to the Polish State Treasury that had obtained them in settlement of a foreign debt, as a result of a big financial scandal that had rocked the country in the early 1990s.

“They had been stored for nearly twenty years in cartons, in New York.” “In March, they have been drawn from oblivion and transported later in Poland”, explained Mr Windorbski.

The rest of the collection will remain for now in the State Archives, he said.

“Prices will certainly flambé the day of the sale, but I still hope that I will be able to buy the photo that I like most, that of Marilyn Monroe with a cup of coffee,” said Bogdan Gorski, filmmaker came to the opening.

“These are extraordinary pictures because Milton Greene had a unique talent for capturing the moment.” He managed to show different sides of Marilyn. “It is him sometimes as a little girl, sometimes as a sex icon,” said Iza Rusiniak, critical of modern art.