Revealing Marilyn Monroe Statue in Palm Springs to be Moved After Uproar
The gigantic statue of Hollywood’s most famous blond bombshell parked in front of the Palm Springs Art Museum will finally be moved after years of controversy over her … underwear.
Marilyn Monroe was a natural at causing a commotion. Whether starring in such films as “Some Like It Hot” or “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” or even while singing a sultry rendition of “Happy Birthday” to President Kennedy, the blond bombshell had a knack for making a scene.
So, it’s really no surprise that a gigantic Marilyn Monroe statue parked just outside the Palm Springs Art Museum would create a monumental stir. After years of controversy and a protracted legal battle, the 26-foot-tall metal statue, Forever Marilyn, modeled after an iconic scene from the Billy Wilder comedy “The Seven Year Itch,” is on the move.
The statue will be resettled in a “location to be determined in the Downtown Park,” Palm Springs Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein said in a statement. “The City Council is very pleased to have found a satisfactory solution to this issue, which has divided so many within our community.”
The city had approved the statue’s location for three years beginning in 2021, despite protests from those in the community who said the jumbo Marilyn was sexist. The concern for some is that unlike the film and related publicity photos, which showed Monroe from the front with her dress flying in the air thanks to a gust of wind from a passing subway train, the sculptor Seward Johnson took advantage of the opportunity present a fuller view of the star – including her underwear.
The 34,300-pound sculpture has stood in the middle of Downtown Park and centerstage in a raucous debate ever since. Although a tourist attraction that draws an estimated 90,000 visitors a month, the museum was not a fan of the piece, particularly the view of Monroe’s sculpted backside which faces the museum.
“You come out of the museum and the first thing you’re going to see is a 26-foot-tall Marilyn Monroe with her entire backside and underwear exposed,” the museum’s then-executive director and CEO Louis Grachos told council members, according to the Palm Springs Desert Sun. “We serve over 100,000 school-age children that come to our museum every single year. What message does that send to our young people, our visitors, and community to present a statue that objectifies women, is sexually charged and disrespectful?”
For now, the flap over Marilyn appears to have passed. Palm Springs expects to finalize a specific location for Forever Marilyn within the Downtown Park in the next 30 days.
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