My Marilyn - Richard Hamilton

A seminal Pop Art screenprint by Richard Hamilton, exploring the intersection of celebrity, media, and the personal selection of images.

Richard Hamilton created My Marilyn in 1965, drawing upon a set of contact sheets featuring Marilyn Monroe. These photographs were taken during the filming of The Misfits, and they were marked by the actress herself with crosses to indicate images she disliked. Hamilton obtained these discarded contact sheets and utilised them as the basis for his work, incorporating the physical markings into the final composition. The print functions as a commentary on the construction of celebrity and the mediation of the public image. By including the handwritten crosses, Hamilton draws attention to the tension between the subject's self-perception and the external gaze of the camera. The work is composed of multiple panels, reflecting the fragmented nature of media representation. The colour palette is deliberate, using flat, synthetic tones that evoke the aesthetic of mass-produced advertising and cinema posters of the era. Technically, the piece demonstrates Hamilton's interest in the possibilities of screenprinting as a medium for artistic expression. He layers photographic imagery with graphic elements, creating a visual dialogue between the original source material and his own intervention. The work avoids a singular narrative, instead presenting a series of glimpses that invite the viewer to consider the process of image selection and rejection. It remains a significant example of British Pop Art, capturing the intersection of private identity and public consumption.