Last Sitting A Portfolio of Ten Photographs as Photographed by Bert Stern

New York: Shorewood Atelier for Woodbine Books Inc, 1962. MONROE, Marilyn; STERN, Bert. STERN, Bert. The Last Sitting. A Portfolio of Ten Photographs as Photographed by Bert Stern New York: Shorewood Atelier for Woodbine Books Inc., 1962.

Full Description:

[MONROE, Marilyn]. [STERN, Bert, photographer]. "The Last Sitting". A Portfolio of Ten Photographs as Photographed by Bert Stern. New York: Shorewood Atelier for Woodbine Books Inc., 1962 (i.e 1978).

The very rare limited edition portfolio of "The Last Sitting" of Marilyn Monroe, photos taken just six weeks before her death. Limited to 250 numbered copies. The limitation (truncated) page is unnumbered, but each photo is numbered 141/250 on the bottom left corner, and signed by Stern in black ink at the bottom right corner. With Limitation page, a poster with small reproductions of each photo and a title caption for each one and ten chromogenic prints. The prints are on glossy paper and sized 24 x 20 inches. Each print is matted in black. All photos and leaves are housed together in original red-orange cloth portfolio. Portfolio size is 27 x 25 inches. The plastic handle on the portfolio is snapped off, but present. Still an about fine set of this scarce item. Shorewood Atelier for Woodbine Books complied this portfolio in 1978.

The titles of the photographs include ‘Feeling Good,’ 'Playful,’ ‘What's It All About?,’ ‘Flirtatious,’ ‘Teasing,’ ‘I Beg of You,’ ‘Aroused,’ ‘Rhythm,’ ‘Here's to You,’ and ‘Not Bad For 36.’

"Ten color photographs made from the original transparencies as photographed by the renowned photographer Bert Stern in 1962, six weeks before her tragic death. An Edition of 250 portfolios numbered from 1 to 250. Twenty artists proofs numbered I to XX. Twenty lettered sets A to T for publishers. Portfolios are available in glossy finish or matte. Odd numbers are on glossy paper, even numbers are on matte paper. Size of image is 19 x 18 1/2 inches (48.5 x 47 cm) on 20 x 24 inch (51 x 61 cm) paper. All prints are matted and handsomely boxed. Original transparencies have been donated to a museum so that no further prints can be made." (From the Colophon)

"Bert Stern was an American photographer best known for his iconic portraits of Marilyn Monroe. With a photo shoot that took place in 1962 just weeks before the actress’ death, Stern later compiled his image into the photobook Marilyn Monroe: The Complete Last Sitting, first published in 1982. Born on October 3, 1929 in Brooklyn, NY, Stern taught himself how to take photographs as a youth. Over the course of his career, Stern changed the landscape of fashion and advertising photography by creating dynamic, stand-alone images that no longer existed simply to serve the text. He emerged alongside Richard Avedon, Mark Shaw, and Irving Penn as a pioneer of this new, confrontational style. Stern died at the age of 83 on June 26, 2013 in New York, NY. Notable exhibitions of his work include “I Wanna Be Loved By You: Photographs of Marilyn Monroe” shown at the Brooklyn Museum of Art and “The Last Sitting” at the Musée Maillol in Paris."

HBS 69202.

$22,500. (Inventory #: 69202)