FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2025
100 Years of Marilyn: Artist Russell Young ushers in a yearlong celebration of Marilyn Monroe with exhibitions, events, and collaborations worldwide
A launch event at Art Miami this December reveals new paintings by the artist and kicks off the 2026 centennial tribute, featuring exclusive collaborations with the Marilyn Monroe Estate and premiere lifestyle partners
Marilyn 100, 2025, Russell Young
Acrylic, oil based ink and diamond dust hand-pulled screen print on linen, Hollywood X Melrose Pink, 62×48 inches
Los Angeles, CA – In 2026, the world will mark 100 years of Marilyn Monroe. British-American artist Russell Young will lead the artistic tribute through his new series, MARILYN 100 – his yearlong program of exhibitions, new artworks, and exclusive events around the globe – created in collaboration with the Marilyn Monroe Estate and Authentic Brands Group (Authentic), steward of Monroe’s legacy, alongside premier lifestyle partners. MARILYN 100 serves as the artistic kick-off to the broader 2026 centennial celebrations led by Authentic.
Marilyn Monroe was one of the first celebrities to become an image, defining the visual vocabulary of the 20th century. Andy Warhol’s 1962 Marilyn Diptych cemented her as a pop icon and an enduring commentary on fame, the construction of self, and media saturation—themes that continue to define contemporary culture. Young, who in fact owns a printmaking press once used by Warhol, carries that legacy into the 21st century with hand-pulled, silk screen paintings that are an eternal mirror of American culture.
Young’s Monroe paintings capture “a time and place when the world watched on as the American Dream appeared to dramatically unravel, a decade that held witness to the Vietnam War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the assassination of John F. Kennedy.” Young’s distinct and evocative treatment of Monroe’s image reflects both the turbulence of her era and the ongoing cultural obsession that continues to shape how we see fame today.
Described as a “voluntary keeper and interpreter of some of the most captivating and subversive images ever recorded,” Young has built his practice around immortalizing icons and cultural phenomena through diamond-dusted silk screen paintings, making him the ideal artist to reimagine Monroe’s image for her centennial year.
Throughout 2026, Young’s MARILYN 100 program will travel internationally, including appearances at all Formula 1 races in 2026, exhibitions, and collaborative projects with Authentic Brands Group and the Marilyn Monroe Estate. Young in collaboration with Piper-Heidsieck has embellished his signature diamond dusted Marilyn’s onto 12 champagne bottles, and Piper-Heidsieck will sponsor key events, and select limited-edition merchandise, including black Champion sweatshirts featuring Monroe, will engage collectors and fans alike.
Young will exhibit a wall of 28 Marilyn Crying paintings as well as new paintings and screen prints from the MARILYN 100 series on view December 2 – 7, 2025, at Art Miami with Taglialatella Galleries. The series of 28 Marilyn Crying paintings are hand-painted and hand-pulled in glorious colors, and were previously exhibited at Young’s Superstar exhibition at the Modern Art Museum in Shanghai. The forthcoming centennial tribute will debut on December 5, 2025, at an exclusive launch event at Art Miami by Taglialatella Galleries and hosted by Authentic Brands Group, unveiling a series of the artist’s new Marilyn paintings created in collaboration with the Marilyn Monroe Estate, which has given Young full access to their archives. In addition to these new paintings, Young will be releasing a body of Marilyn works from his personal archives.
MARILYN 100 is in collaboration with Authentic Brands Group and the Marilyn Monroe Estate, and is sponsored by Velocity Black, Haute Living, Sofia Restaurant, Ink Entertainment, Taglialatella Galleries and champagne house Piper-Heidsieck.
Russell Young. Photo: Brandi Nicole
About Russell Young
Russell Young, born in 1959 in Yorkshire, is a British-American artist best known for his large scale silk screen paintings examining cultural icons, the nature of fame, and the souring of the American Dream.
His earliest breakthrough was his photography of George Michael for the sleeve of the album Faith in 1987. Young photographed many music stars throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including Morrissey, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, REM, The Smiths, Bauhaus, Diana Ross, Paul Newman, Björk, and many others. He went on to shoot over 100 music videos for leading artists during MTV’s height in the 1990s, which brought him to the United States.
Young eventually moved to California, where he began his current practice with his sold-out show Pig Portraits in Los Angeles in 2003. The many series that have followed, including his ongoing Heroes + Heroines and WEST, demonstrate his visceral, analog processes and signature use of diamond dust. He has exhibited across the world in numerous galleries alongside masterclass artists, institutions, and cultural figures. These include museum exhibitions at the Modern Art Museum Shanghai, Multimedia Art Museum Moscow, Cornell Art Museum, Polk Museum of Art, and the Goss-Michael Foundation. His genesis NFT debuted and sold on SuperRare in 2022.
Young’s work is included in many prominent private and institutional collections including those of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Barack Obama, David Bowie, Kate Moss, The Kardashians,Brigitte Bardot, Drake, Angelina Jolie, David Hockney, Brad Pitt, Aby Rosen, and others, as well as The Getty Collection in Los Angeles and The White House Collection in Washington, D.C. His works have crossed the auction block at all of the world’s major auction houses, including Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Phillips.
He currently lives in Southern California.
Website: www.russellyoung.com
Instagram: @bankrobbercalifornia
About Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe is one of the most influential pop culture icons of all time. A true trailblazer, Monroe forged her own path, embracing her individuality and pursuing her passions in an era when paths for women were few. She appeared in 29 films over the course of her career, became a Golden Globe winner for Some Like It Hot, and continued to set a new standard for women in film. As part of her quest for control, she launched her own production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions, affording her control over her image, while pushing back on the Hollywood system to ensure her voice and others were heard. Her pioneering spirit, independence and confidence, along with her incomparable star power, continue to inspire modern generations and transcend cultures and backgrounds. Partnerships with both luxury and mass-consumer brands, in addition to an extensive merchandising program, reinforce her status as a global icon.
For more information and exclusive updates, follow @marilynmonroe on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X.
About Authentic Brands Group
Authentic Brands Group (Authentic) is the world’s leading owner of sports, lifestyle and entertainment intellectual property. It acquires and owns iconic brands, positions them for long-term growth and partners with top-tier operators to scale globally, all while delivering bold storytelling and marketing that brings each brand to life.
Authentic owns more than 50 global brands, generating approximately $32 billion in annual systemwide retail sales. These brands have a significant presence in 150 countries, with more than 29,000 freestanding stores and shop-in-shops, as well as 500,000 points of sale worldwide. Authentic’s portfolio of globally recognized brands includes Shaquille O’Neal, David Beckham, Reebok, Champion, Nautica, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Sports Illustrated, Eddie Bauer, Aéropostale, Lucky Brand, Nine West, Brooks Brothers, Juicy Couture, Vince Camuto, Dockers, Quiksilver, Billabong, Sperry, Hunter and Ted Baker. Through its joint venture with Saks Global, Authentic Luxury Group (ALG), it drives growth for luxury and accessible luxury brands, including Barneys New York, Judith Leiber, Hervé Léger, Vince, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks OFF 5TH.
For more information, visit authentic.com.
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