Marilyn Monroe Shows Her Knickers

Wherever we go, we have to check out the local art scene. Downtown Palm Springs did not disappoint.

We started at the Palm Springs Art Museum and lazily wandered around, thankful for the air conditioning as it was still beating hot outside. It did not take me long to find some Wayne Thiebaud delicious goodies and it was all I could do to stop myself licking the canvases. So yummy! There was British representation with some Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth sculptures, lotsa poppy and dotty Roy Liechtenstein's, a lovely Andy Warhol pink cow and I even found an Edward E. Curtis print in the Southwest Art Collection, all laid out beautifully. I adore museum shops and spent some time mooching about but as we are now living in the trailer with very limited space, I have promised myself not to buy any small souvenirs. Nowhere to put them! 

Outside the museum we headed towards the downtown area.

We immediately fell in love with the towering "Forever Marilyn" sculpture by Seward Johnson. All 26 feet of her unabashedly looms up in the pose made famous in the movie "The Seven Year Itch" where she stands over a subway grate in New York City while her halter neck white dress billows up as she tries to push it down. Apparently Joe DiMaggio was fuming with Billy Wilder over the number of takes it took, the fun Marilyn was having with the film crew and the eager crowd that amassed to watch the spectacle. Though the sculpture is somewhat controversial, as it shows her knickers at the back as her dress flies up so that it almost looks as if she is mooning the art museum to her rear, it is such an iconic movie moment that you can't help smiling. One of my all time favorite movies is "Some Like It Hot," another Billy Wilder movie. I am a huge Marilyn fan so this sculpture made me happy.

After some tasty light bites at the Tommy Bahama Bar we found a few other cool urban art pieces.