What would Marilyn do?

In a world first, Bendigo Art Gallery (BAG) and film studio 20th Century Fox will present Marilyn Monroe (5 March – 10 July, 2016), an exclusive exhibition put together by BAG’s resident Senior Curator, Tansy Curtin. Inspired by a life-long love of Marilyn Monroe, Tansy’s extensive research has armed her with intimate knowledge of the screen siren. We asked her where Marilyn Monroe’s interests would take her if she visited Victoria today.

“Marilyn had an amazing capacity to blend in with the general population if she needed to do she could walk around a city unhindered. She could then transform herself back into Marilyn the movie star and command attention. Because of this, the screen icon would have had no qualms in touring Melbourne’s hotspots and would have spent a good portion of time enjoying the city’s eateries – from Fatto on the river-front to the 55th floor of the Rialto at Vue De Monde and the city’s tucked away cafes like Switch Board and Traveller.

Marilyn had a poodle called Maf, given to her by Frank Sinatra. She adored the dog and had lots of photos taken with them both. The pooch would have always been in tow, and visiting places where Maf could run freely would have been a must. Just outside the centre of the city, both Fawkner Park and Yarra Bend Park are top spots for a four-legged run-around, and Brighton Dog Beach lets dogs enjoy the sea and the sand at their leisure. A day out with Gourmet Pawprints would have been the ideal way for Marilyn to experience the best of Victoria’s food and wine with Maf by her side.

She loved classic high fashion – Pucci and Ferragamo were two favourites. We are sure she would have spent some time perusing the boutiques of Melbourne’s laneways, and of course exploring the high end labels along Little Collins Street. In Flinders Lane, she’d stop at Assin, Green with Envy for a taste of high fashion and Alpha 60 and Life with Bird to try on Melbourne’s designer-wares. The shopping spree would continue at Emporium Melbourne, Melbourne Central, The Strand Melbourne and QV – where over 1000 retailers are accessible within two city blocks.

She liked art and studied art history (she even owned a Rodin sculpture). While in Melbourne, she would certainly visit the National Gallery of Victoria where Warhol Ai Wei Wei is on display until 24 April, 2016. Here, she would have admired the work both artists and paid particular attention to Warhol’s portraits of herself. Then, over in Studio Cats, an offshoot of the exhibition designed for kids, she would have jumped at the chance to have her photo taken (with her dog) in one of the popular Warhol Ai Wei Wei-styled photo booths.

Marilyn loved swimming at the pool and the beach (she had a pool in her house in Brentwood, California and numerous bathing suits). The screen goddess would have been sure to spend some time at some of Melbourne’s best pools, including: St Kilda Sea Baths, situated right on the foreshore, and the Pool Deck at Adelphi Hotel. The beach would also have been on her agenda. Starting at St Kilda Beach and stopping off at Captain Baxter for a cocktail, Marilyn would have made her way to the coastline of Mornington Peninsula, in particular stopping off at the beaches of Mount Martha and Sorrento. Perhaps she would have tried swimming with the dolphins with Polperro Dolphin Swims.

High end make-up was a necessity, so Marilyn would have spent some time checking out Melbourne’s Mecca stores and the new Sephora at Melbourne Central. Her platinum blonde hair required a lot of up-keep and visits to salons would be a must. Edwards and Co in Melbourne’s Punch Lane and Anaka in Malvern, around 20 minutes from the city, are both reputed as high end blonde colourists well-suited to style the star’s locks.

She loved books and reading, and more generally expanding her knowledge, and would have enjoyed visiting the State Library of Victoria where over two million books, hundreds of thousands of pictures, newspapers, maps and manuscripts, and masses of audio, video and digital material are all on hand. For a book to take to the beach, Marilyn would have perused Melbourne’s many bookshops including Hill of Content and The Paperback Bookshop, both on Bourke Street in the city centre.

Out of town, Bendigo (around two hours from Melbourne) would be a must, and Marilyn would visit Bendigo Art Gallery to see the space that will house her own exhibition (5 March – 10 July, 2016). Lunch at hatted restaurant Masons would satisfy her appetite for local produce. High tea at Fortuna Villa and a tour of the property would follow, before a ride on the Bendigo Blues Tram to listen to local musicians perform.”

Media enquiries: Katrina Hall at Bendigo Art Gallery, +61 421 153 046, kathall@ozemail.com.au