© Milton H. Greene, ca. 1955-56, Rare portrait of Marilyn Monroe
Milton H. Greene was Monroe’s photographer, artistic adviser, and business partner from 1953 to 1957. In a series of skillful maneuvers Greene freed Marilyn from the shackles of her slave contract with Twentieth Century-Fox and formed their independent production company - Marilyn Monroe Productions, Inc.
The singular relationship between the celebrated photographer and the box-office blonde was intense and extremely fruitful. At times Marilyn even lived with Milton’s family, finding the secure professional and personal base that she so desperately needed for her work and her emotional well-being.
Their collaboration broke up in 1957, when Marilyn’s third husband, playwright Arthur Miller, became involved in his wife’s business affairs. Embittered, Milton Greene withdrew from MMP and refused to allow anyone to examine or publish the bulk of his Marilyn photos before his death in 1985. Disputes over his estate considerably delayed publication of this treasure trove of Marilyn images. (+)
In November 2012, hundreds of his photographs of the blonde bombshell and other celebrities, including famous ones of Monroe in bed and as a ballerina, were sold for some $750,000 at an auction house in Poland.
Bidders and spectators packed the Desa Unicum house in Warsaw, where 238 pictures by Milton H. Greene were up for sale. Only one remained unsold, among some 500 bidders. (+)
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