Marilyn (Dem Cakes), 2022

Even though Marilyn Monroe died nearly 60 years ago, she is still one of the most idolized stars in the world. Her ethereal, yet timeless, and seemingly impervious charisma is testament to an estate which has over the years never strayed far from being top ten, in the ranking of deceased celebrity earners. This piece features Marilyn in the late 1940s, round the time she transitioned from model to bit player/starlet in her first Hollywood productions. She’d changed her hair style from brunette and somewhat frizzy to blonde and straight; but it was still long and she was yet to have a number of cosmetic procedures she later underwent to refine the iconic look we are familiar with today. I have painted and used collage of vintage cakes, puddings and jellies in my work from the earliest days. Adding to my established and now recognizable style of mixing painting, drawing and retro collage components in a unique manner, this piece is inspired by all things sweet, and references the contemporary slang trend of referring to the ass as ‘cake.’ Besides her good looks, business smarts and wit, bodacious curvy Marilyn was definitely renowned for some of that too.