There are movie stars, and then there is Marilyn Monroe. One hundred years after her birth, she still stops you in your tracks. So when the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opens its doors to Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon, you don’t simply browse an exhibit. You step into the life of a woman who remade herself — and, in doing so, remade Hollywood.
The exhibit runs from May 31, 2026 through February 28, 2027, giving you plenty of time to make this a centerpiece of a Los Angeles trip. But here’s the thing: go sooner rather than later. Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday falls on June 1, 2026 . In other words, the electricity around this centennial celebration is something you’ll want to experience while it’s still buzzing through the city.
Must-See in L.A.: Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon Exhibit
What You’ll See Inside
Plan to give yourself at least two to three hours. This is not a quick walk-through, particularly for the Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon exhibit,
The exhibition presents over 200 original objects, and each one earns its place. You’ll move through posters, portraits, and production documents. Then come the photographs — intimate, arresting, quietly devastating. Some of these materials have never been displayed publicly before. That’s not to mention screenings of iconic moments from many of her films. As a result, even devoted Monroe fans will find themselves encountering a version of her they have not yet met.
See Costumes Worn by Marilyn Monroe
The costumes, though, are what will make you catch your breath.
Two costumes by designer Orry-Kelly from Some Like It Hot (1959) are on display, alongside the rarely exhibited pink dress by William Travilla from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). That pink gown, in particular, carries a story of its own. One collector originally purchased it from Fox for just $12. It had not been seen publicly since the 1980s — until Bryan Johns, owner of the ICON Collection, tracked down the previous buyer and eventually acquired it. Now it stands before you in all its satin glory, and yes, it is every bit as extraordinary as you’d imagine.
The costume timeline itself is worth your attention. It spans from a dress Monroe wore in her early film Love Happy (1949) all the way to items from her final, unfinished film, Something’s Got to Give (1962). Watching that fashion arc unfold — from a young actress finding her footing to one of the most powerful women in Hollywood — is unexpectedly moving. You see her confidence deepen with every piece.
Beyond the glamour, the exhibit also takes you somewhere more personal. Items from Something’s Got to Give are on display near the end of the exhibition, and standing in front of those objects, you feel the weight of what was left undone. It is a quietly powerful moment in an exhibition full of them.
Related: What to See at the Academy Museum
The Woman Behind the Image
This is where Hollywood Icon truly sets itself apart from anything you may have seen before.
The exhibition is curated by Associate Curator Sophia Serrano, and her perspective shapes everything here. Serrano designed the show specifically to reach visitors who know Monroe’s face better than her films — people who recognize the look but don’t yet know the full story. The exhibit opens with the costumes as a deliberate entry point, what Serrano calls the “hook.” From there, it moves through the machinery of Hollywood publicity, a film montage, and rich archival material that reveals something far more complex than the persona the public has long assumed was all there was.
Photographs at the Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon Exhibit
One of the most fascinating stops in the exhibition is a display of Monroe’s contact sheets from her photography sessions. She went through those sheets carefully, crossing out any image she didn’t approve. That detail alone reframes everything. Here was a woman in complete command of her own image — studying, selecting, and shaping the visual story the world would see. According to Serrano, Monroe closely examined press clippings to track her own publicity. Letters from her close collaborators, also on display, show her actively standing up to the studios.
Furthermore, the exhibition documents a bold professional move that most visitors don’t expect. Monroe walked away from her contract with Fox to launch Marilyn Monroe Productions, her own production company. In doing so, she became one of the first women in Hollywood to take that step — following in the footsteps of Mary Pickford. She wasn’t just a star working within the system. She was building one of her own.
More on the Exhibition
The exhibit also sheds light on her serious artistic ambitions. Monroe studied with the legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York, where she was driven by a desire to be taken seriously as a dramatic actor. Serrano herself admitted that researching the show changed her own understanding of Monroe entirely. Watching early films like Niagara and reading through letters and journal entries revealed an actress with genuine dramatic depth — someone actively angling to work on stage. Many of the objects in this exhibition were acquired by private collectors at a landmark 1999 Christie’s auction, when the Strasberg estate dispersed what it had inherited from Monroe. The result is a collection that feels intimate and hard-won.
The Academy describes Monroe as a “visionary actor and image-maker” — and that framing matters. This exhibit isn’t a shrine. Instead, it’s a thoughtful argument. Despite countless portrayals of Monroe in fiction and on film, the public has known little of her agency in shaping a persona that superseded celluloid. Hollywood Icon sets out to change that. By the time you reach the final gallery, you see her differently. Not as an image that happened to the world, but as a woman who crafted one with intelligence and intention.
Take the Guided Tour
Here’s a tip worth taking seriously: book a guided tour.
Bilingual museum educators lead 30-minute guided tours of Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon, walking you through the exhibition with additional context about Monroe’s career, her costumes, and the woman behind the carefully crafted image. Tour guides use voice amplifiers to enhance sound accessibility. It’s the kind of insider layer that turns a good museum visit into a great one. For tour inquiries, you can reach the museum’s education team at museumeducation@oscars.org.
One more thing worth knowing: the exhibition is made possible by CHANEL, with additional support from the ICON Collection. That partnership feels fitting — Monroe and Chanel share a certain kind of timelessness that’s difficult to define but impossible to miss.
The Details You Need
Tickets to the Academy Museum are available via advance online reservations via the website and mobile app or in person. General admission is $25 for adults, $19 for 62 and older, and $15 for students. Admission is free for visitors ages 17 and younger and for California residents with an EBT card. The museum’s exhibitions and galleries are open six days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, it’s important to remember that the Academy Museum is closed on Tuesdays.
The museum sits at 6067 Wilshire Boulevard, right in the heart of Miracle Mile. Parking is available nearby, but the new L.A. Metro Wilshire/Fairfax station is just across the street. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is next, and like the Metro station, the Petersen Automotive Museum is across the street. With a little planning, you can easily make a full cultural day of it.
About the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
Before you walk into the Monroe exhibition, take a moment to appreciate the building itself — because it is a destination in its own right.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opened its doors to the public on September 30, 2021, after years of anticipation and a $388 million renovation project. The project was over a decade in the making, and the result is extraordinary. The museum sits inside the former May Company department store, a 1939 Streamline Moderne structure now known as the Saban Building, marked by a distinctive golden cylinder on its facade.
The museum was designed by Renzo Piano, the acclaimed Italian architect known for works such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. His signature contribution is the iconic spherical addition housing the David Geffen Theater. That sphere — which also features a rooftop deck with sweeping views of the Hollywood Hills — connects to the Saban Building via glass bridges. The whole thing feels, appropriately, like a movie set that turned out to be real.
Immersive galleries on five levels are devoted to the history of film and international moviemakers. The permanent collection alone justifies a visit. In fact, you may find yourself returning to the Academy Museum again and again, each time peeling back another layer of cinema history.
Why This Moment Matters
Monroe died in 1962 at just 36 years old. She was never nominated for an Academy Award. And yet, a century after her birth, she is the subject of a landmark exhibition at the most important film museum in the world. There is something deeply meaningful about that.
Modern-day artists like Doja Cat and Sydney Sweeney — born decades after Monroe’s death — have emulated her looks to viral acclaim. Her good image sells and her name travels. Furthermore, her face is everywhere. But Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon asks you to slow down and look more carefully. Behind the platinum hair and the famous smile was a woman doing something bold and deliberate. She was building a legend from the inside out.
Furthermore, the timing of this centennial makes the exhibit feel even more charged. You’re not just visiting a museum. You’re participating in a city-wide reckoning with what Marilyn Monroe meant — and, just as importantly, what she means now.
Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures 6067 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036 Open: May 31, 2026 – February 28, 2027 Hours: Wednesday – Monday, 10am – 6pm (Closed Tuesdays) Tickets: $25 adults | $19 62 and over | $15 students | Free for ages 17 and under. Reservations are recommended at academymuseum.org
Related: 2026 Guide to the Academy Museum
About The Author
Randy Yagi is an award-winning writer who served as the National Travel Writer for CBS from 2012 to 2019. More than 900 of his stories still appear in syndication across 23 CBS websites, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco. During his peak years with CBS, Randy had a reported digital audience reach of 489 million and 5.5 million monthly visitors. Additionally, his stories have appeared in the Daily Meal, CBS News, CBS Radio, Engadget, NBC.com, NJ.com, and Radio.com. He earned a Media Fellowship from Stanford University and is a Bay Area Travel Writers (BATW) member.