Simon Claridge | Fox Presents The Films of Marilyn

Following his sell-out Fox Presents the Films of Marilyn collection, Simon returns for 2018 with a collection of dazzling portraits finished with his signature diamond dust treatment.

FOX PRESENTS THE FILMS OF THE DIAMOND DUST COLLECTION BY SIMONCLARIDGE MARILYN

“To be able to use images from the Twentieth Century Fox Studio Archives is the closest I will ever be able to get to painting Marilyn for real. And that is an absolute highlight of my career.” Simon Claridge

FOX PRESENTS THE FILMS OF MARILYN THE DIAMOND DUST COLLECTION BY SIMON CLARIDGE

In 2014 celebrated contemporary artist Simon Claridge began a collaboration with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products - a Hollywood studio synonymous with some of the greatest films in living memory - and one of their most illustrious film stars; Marilyn Monroe. Twentieth Century Fox Studios produced 12 iconic films starring Marilyn Monroe, 5 of which are in Marilyn’s top grossing of all time; films that subsequently launched her career and began the world’s love affair with the captivating and stunning young actress. The six interpretations of Marilyn Monroe created for this collection are drawn from her most famous Fox movies; ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ and ‘How to Marry a Millionaire’ and the prestigious and rare collection of photography stills, test shots and outtakes from the Fox Studios’ coveted archives. From the Fox film archives spanning decades, Claridge has created six silkscreens that capture Marilyn Monroe’s film career at Twentieth Century Fox. Some will be familiar to

you, ‘I Just Want to be Wonderful’ for example, is everything we know and love about Marilyn from the film ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ in one image. Whilst others, taken from never-before-seen test-shots, will be less familiar, ‘Sounds Just Dreamy to Me’ captures Marilyn in a moment of playfulness during a wardrobe test-shot for the film ‘How to Marry a Millionaire’ ; she is off camera, not off duty, but relaxed, at ease and unrehearsed. An invitation to explore these exquisite pieces of Fox film memorabilia is an extraordinary privilege, no more so than for Simon Claridge, whose artistic love affair with Marilyn Monroe began five years ago with the launch of his very first Diamond Dust collection. Claridge proceeded to depict other stars of stage and screen in his inimitable style, yet always returns to the Twentieth Century Fox film star Marilyn Monroe. Described by Claridge as the “ultimate film portrait”, Monroe has been immortalised in artistic practice for more than fifty years. Her rendition of the song

‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’ in ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ is a renowned scene; the iconic pink dress and her exquisite features have inspired homages by the biggest Hollywood stars still to this day. The Diamond Dust Collection by Simon Claridge adds a new dimension to the Fox and Marilyn Monroe film legacy. With this unique fine art work, Claridge’s technique builds layer upon layer of colour and shade in his work and serves conversely to peel back the layers to reveal a quality in Monroe beneath the Hollywood veneer. This feat is both testament to Claridge’s refined artistic skill, but also his personal attachment to the movies ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ and ‘How To Marry a Millionaire’ , and the incurred zeal to pay respect to both the woman that she was as well as the silver screen icon that she became.

Collection Overview Celebrated contemporary artist Simon Claridge in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products has created a series of portraits based on the studio’s iconic film star, Marilyn Monroe. The Diamond Dust Collection by Simon Claridge features six silkscreens that represent the many facets of Marilyn Monroe’s film career with Twentieth Century Fox. Created by Claridge, these images have never before been translated into fine art and stem from original photography stills and film outtakes from Marilyn’s most well-known titles ‘Gentleman Prefer Blondes’ and ‘How to Marry a Millionaire’. The collection represents Marilyn in symbolic black and white, enveloped in what has now become Claridge’s trademark ‘diamond dust’. As well as featuring some familiar stills photography of Marilyn in ‘Gentleman Prefer Blondes’ and ‘How to Marry a Millionaire’ , there are also surprises with rarely seen - and certainly never depicted in fine art - poses and scenes.

In The Diamond Dust Collection by Simon Claridge , Simon Claridge manages to stay true to the universal aesthetic of Marilyn whilst portraying her in his own inimitable fashion, through the eyes of a true admirer. Diamond Dust Perhaps most famously used by Andy Warhol, Simon Claridge has since made diamond dust an elemental component of his artistic oeuvre, using it to add the glamour that his subjects command. The luminous effect is both beautiful and alluring, and heightens an already overwhelming sensory experience. Used in The Diamond Dust Collection by Simon Claridge , Claridge adds to the feeling of unmistakable Hollywood opulence, and compliments the radiance for which Monroe was famous in her Fox film career. It serves to bring her from two dimensions into three, conveying her aura and alluding to her being very much in the spotlight during her career on the big screen.

in the same way. The sheen created by the diamond dust dictates that it will reflect differently according to the light sources around it. View it in bright sunlight, in artificial light, through the beams of light cast by a setting sun, and the same piece will appear transformed. Arguably, this is fitting and appropriate to Monroe. She had so many guises, was open yet guarded, was known to so many but understood by so few…in short, she was many different things to many different people. Herein lies the beauty of The Diamond Dust Collection by Simon Claridge , Simon Claridge has surrendered control of the artistic finish and allowed Marilyn to shine.

Diamond dust elevates this body of work to an intriguing truth; no two people will view the same piece

Framed Silkscreen on Paper Presentation

Framed Silkscreen on Canvas Presentation

Framed Silkscreen on Paper Presentation

Framed Silkscreen on Canvas Presentation

Framed Silkscreen on Paper Presentation

Framed Silkscreen on Canvas Presentation

ABOUT THE ARTIST Blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, Simon Claridge’s work captures the female form in all its splendour, with each piece meticulously considered and crafted to suspend time and evoke an emotional response from onlookers; “My goal is to leave to the viewer some tangible emotional feeling”. Claridge has enjoyed many accolades in his career to date: he was commissioned by Alfa Romeo, created artwork on request for Henry Holland and counts LA stylist Rachel Zoe among his collectors. From his beginnings as a graduate of Fine Art, his career has been governed by the pursuit of doing what he was undoubtedly born to do. From studying art, to working in a gallery to subsidise his painting, to subsequently having his worked displayed in galleries nationwide, art is the consistent theme that courses through his resume. Being signed to one of the UK’s leading fine art publishers, Washington Green has given rise to the success that he has since enjoyed.

His portfolio showcases a selection of popular female cultural icons throughout history – from the worlds of film, fashion, modelling and music – in glorious detail. As a renowned figurative artist, Simon Claridge has made it his raison d’être to capture images that strike a chord with his wider audience. Claridge also visually acknowledges and chronicles timeless society figures from the annals of music history, the catwalks of the fashion world as well as cinematic greats like Marilyn Monroe. Every piece by Claridge commences its metamorphosis on a page in his sketchbook, wherein the formal reduction of the source and reference begins. Thus his painstaking process evolves, based predominantly on trial, error and “gut instinct”. This groundwork serves not only to lay out the foundations for his composition within the boundary of the canvas, but to ensure that the emotive content can be discerned; this being of utmost importance to Claridge. A change of pace will then occur; from

the unhurried sensitive sweeping of lines in his sketchbook, to the urgency with which he applies paint to the canvas to ascertain the colours and tones needed are in place, and back to a leisurely and time- consuming phase during which the multiple layers of paint are applied. Again, there is a noticeable juxtaposition within Claridge’s work; the sharper the lines he creates on the canvas, the more he blurs the line between fantasy and reality, allowing the subject matter to come into focus. “I’ve always regarded myself as a portrait painter - it’s where my passion lies - and for me the screen shots of Marilyn from her Fox movies are the ultimate portrait. It doesn’t get any better.” - Simon Claridge

HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE & GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES are films of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.

The images contained within this literature are an artistic representation of the collection. To best experience our art, we recommend you contact your local gallery to arrange a viewing. © Washington Green 2014. The content of this brochure is subject to copyright and no part can be reproduced without prior permission. washingtongreen.co.uk

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