Marilyn Revisited: A Centenary Exhibition in Lisbon

This summer, MACAM - Museu de Arte Contemporânea in Lisbon presents "Marilyn Revisited," an exhibition marking the centenary of Marilyn Monroe's birth. At its core is a monumental work by Artur Casais (1937–2022): five albums containing hundreds of cardboard sheets and thousands of clippings, collages, and photomontages dedicated to the iconic star. The result of decades of obsessive research and image collection from magazines, newspapers, and cinema publications, these albums function simultaneously as archive, collection, and an ever-evolving work of art.

Beyond a documentary repository, the display reveals the intensity of a personal passion transformed into an extraordinary visual cartography of Marilyn Monroe. Building on this legacy, five contemporary artists were invited to freely intervene on one of the albums, appropriating Casais's material to create new autonomous works. The curatorial gesture proposes a dialogue between generations, languages, and sensibilities, turning the archive into living matter and reactivating Monroe's image through fresh perspectives.

Between memory and reinvention, collection and creation, the exhibition questions the persistence of contemporary visual myths and the ability of certain images to transcend time, continuously renewing their meanings. Visitors can explore the museum Wednesday through Monday, from 10h to 20h.