Realized in 2007, this stunning image presents us with the instantly recognizable likeness of pop culture icon Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) as originally shot by renowned photographer Richard Avedon (1923-2004).
Using this encounter between the photographer and the movie star, Vik Muniz recalibrates the image through a deeply psychological lens. By no means a static copy, the flatness of the medium is masterfully contrasted with the photo-realistic outline of the dispersed puzzle pieces. Through this dramatic juxtaposition, the nuanced complexity of Avedon’s oeuvre is dramatically accentuated as Muniz fragments the sitter like a scattered jigsaw. The work remains an impossible enigma – a compelling tribute to the golden age movie star’s contradictory and intersecting identities and a potent reminder of her publicly devasting and mysterious passing in 1962.