Marilyn Monroe's 'Happy birthday, Mr President' dress fetches record $4.8 million at auction
The last dress that drew as much money was also one made famous by the actor – the white gown in 'The Seven Year Itch'.
The dress that Marilyn Monroe wore while she sang “Happy birthday, Mr President” fetched $4.8 million (Rs 31.9 crore) during an auction in Los Angeles on Thursday. It is the most expensive dress ever sold at an auction. The record was previously held by the iconic white gown Monroe wore in The Seven Year Itch. It had raked up $4.6 million (Rs 30.6 crore) when it went under the hammer in 2011.
The dress sold at Thursday’s auction was a custom-made Jean Louis gown and had a pre-sale estimate of $3 million (Rs 19.9 crore). Museum chain Ripley’s Believe It Or Not bought the sheer, “naked” gown, which has more than 2,500 hand-stitched crystals on it. “We believe this is the most iconic piece of pop culture that there is. It’s a new world record for a dress,” said the museum’s Vice President Edward Meyer.
Monroe wore the dress for a performance at Madison Square Garden on United States President John F Kennedy’s 45th birthday celebrations on May 19, 1962. It was one of her last public appearances before she died of a drug overdose. “This auction will remind the world why Marilyn Monroe remains an icon,” Executive Director of Julien’s Auctions Martin Nolan told The Guardian.
The dress was a “last minute addition” from a collector in New York who had bought it during an auction in 1999 for $1.26 million (Rs 7.9 crore). “It’s the most historic, important piece of Marilyn Monroe that could ever be offered – it’s like the Holy Grail,” Darren Julien, President and CEO of Julien’s Auctions told The Telegraph.