NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fifty years ago, Marilyn Monroe left the film industry bereft of her talent and her legendary beauty. On the occasion of the 65th Cannes Film Festival, of which Marilyn is the figurehead, Chopard is unveiling an exceptional series of 25 unpublished photographs of the star by Milton H. Greene, along with a stunning tribute jewelry creation designed by Caroline Scheufele.
Diamonds and glamour: Marilyn Monroe and Chopard were destined to cross paths, and this encounter has given rise to a new vision of the star and of the diamonds she might have worn.
Forgotten snapshots
25 unpublished images of the amazing Marilyn: this presentation of photos of the star, exhibited during the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, once again testifies to Chopard’s powerful and enduring ties with the world of film-making. They were taken by fashion photographer Milton Greene, whose friendship with the star was legendary. 25 portraits that tell the story of the grace, the mystery and the diaphanous vulnerability of an exceptionally photogenic star with a thousand different facets. This exhibition will be previewed throughout the Cannes Festival, before touring the world during the rest of the year.
Marilyn Monroe, a legendary figure
More than anyone else, she embodies the archetype of the ultimate star. Considered one of the greatest actresses of all time, she is above all an iconic figure. Already adulated during her lifetime, her career, her personality and the fantasies that she enshrined have endowed her with a mythical dimension that has been consistently enriched over the years.
Born Norma Jean Baker, she earned huge fame in Hollywood after starting her career as a fashion model. Her great beauty led her to be singled out in 1944 at the age of 18, while working in a factory at the time. Her exceptionally photogenic nature soon drew the attention of 20th Century Fox. After modest beginnings in the world of films, she soon became a screen goddess. In the 1950s, she starred in films by the greatest directors of the era – including Fritz Lang, Billy Wilder, John Huston and many others – and became the ultimate glamour icon. She nonetheless felt herself to be held captive by the popular dream view of her as the absolute sex symbol. Her intelligence and her sensitivity were battered, and she constantly fought to break the molds in which people tried to imprison her. The dramatic intensity with which she lived her life made it a theatre in which any event achieved legendary status.
Milton H. Greene: a sensitive vision
This New York born portrait specialist and fashion photographer worked for prestigious magazines including Life, Look, Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. He set the stage for and immortalised all the great names of the artistic scene in the 1950s and 1960s: Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich, Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Sofia Loren, Ava Gardner, Romy Schneider, Steve McQueen… Among all these icons, it was Marilyn Monroe who treated him to the most powerful aesthetic experience. Their sense of professional kinship was enriched by a profound friendship. The sensitive touch radiating from these pictures testifies to this intensely special relationship.
Marilyn once told him “You made me interesting”. Above all, she loved his vision that represented a clean break from the stereotypes imposed on her by Hollywood. Sometimes, after the official photo sessions for magazines, once the team had left the set, he took more intimate and free-spirited pictures of her. They first met in 1953, in a period when Marilyn was eager to play more dramatic roles. Their cooperation tells the story of this lesser known side of Marilyn’s life: her years in New York, during which she was seeking to regain control of her career. With this in mind, she took classes at the Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg. In front of Milton H. Greene’s lens, she could give free rein to other types of emotions and images than those bound up with her public persona.
A diamond tribute
Behind the Hollywood goddess was a woman with both darker and brighter sides to her nature. Caroline Scheufele has drawn inspiration from this icon to design a jewelry creation of timeless elegance. The desire to honor Marilyn’s legend naturally called for an equally legendary stone. What could be better than diamonds to pay tribute to the woman who sang Diamond’s are a girls’ best friend? The shimmering gleam of white gold vividly conveys the star’s enchanting radiance. This magnificent necklace – a cascade of heart-shaped, briolette-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds – will be worn by Eva Herzigova for the mounting of the steps ritual on the opening night of the Cannes Film Festival on May 16th, along with a splendid pair of earrings set with heart-shaped and brilliant-cut diamonds. (total carat weight of suite: 210cts) Or what can happen when jewelry embodies a legend…
Chopard and the movies
This exceptional event is part of the long history of the ties binding Chopard to the world of film-making. Official partner of the Cannes Festival for the 15th year, the Geneva-based jewelry and watchmaking House illuminates the Festival with its incomparable sense of glamour, culminating in the mounting of the steps ritual.
Since redesigning the Palme d’Or, Chopard has constantly strengthened its ties with the movie world. Loyal to its tradition of patronage, the company testified to its commitment to the “seventh art” by creating a new award, the Trophée Chopard. Awarded each year, it aims to encourage promising new young actors and actresses. Chopard also associates with major productions and talented directors, such as Woody Allen and his Midnight in Paris, or Nine by Rob Marshall – a film for which the Geneva company designed an exclusive Haute Joaillerie collection. A boundless range of shared encounters, desires and emotions, all suffused with Chopard’s extraordinary creativity, characterised by a world of dreams and a peerless sense of the exceptional.
The 25 unpublished photographs by Milton H. Greene were selected by The Archives, LLC, Chopard and Oscar Generale Productions from the 4,000 photographs taken by Milton H. Greene, to which his son, Joshua Greene, owns the rights.
CHOPARD – Louis-Ulysse Chopard founded his own workshop in 1860 in Sonvillier, the Swiss Jura. Since 1963 Chopard is owned by the Scheufele family and its headquarters are located in Geneva. Internationally renowned for its watch and jewellery creations, the Group today employs 1950 people worldwide. It is independent and vertically very integrated, controlling the entire process from design to distribution through 1500 points of sale and 130 dedicated boutiques. Over 30 different crafts are practised in 4 manufacturing sites with a strong emphasis on in-house training. Chopard has built its reputation on iconic collections such as “Happy Diamonds”, “Happy Sport” and “Mille Miglia”. The firm is also highly recognized for its High Jewellery creations and fine watchmaking and manufacture expertise, expressed in the L.U.C collection. According to two of its fundamental values, respect and social responsibility, Chopard is strongly committed to various philanthropic organizations. Long-term partnerships tie the company to the WWF, the José Carreras International Leukaemia Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Last but not least, Chopard is a faithful partner of the Cannes International Film Festival and legendary classic car events, such as the Mille Miglia in Italy and the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique.
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