Juliet Stockton on painting Marilyn Monroe: 100 years of an icon

Few faces are as instantly recognisable as Marilyn Monroe.

Nearly a century after she was born, her image remains synonymous with Hollywood glamour - but behind the blonde hair, red lipstick and famous photographs was a woman whose ambition, resilience and complexity continue to fascinate artists and audiences around the world.

As we celebrate Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday, we spoke to British artist Juliet Stockton about her lifelong fascination with Marilyn, the inspiration behind her paintings and what she hopes people see beyond the iconic image.

A fascination that started at 15

Juliet’s connection with Marilyn began long before she ever painted her.

“I was 15 when I first saw her, on postcards at Pier 39 in San Francisco,” Juliet remembers. “I’d never seen anyone so beautiful, luminous or glamorous and was instantly hooked.”

That fascination quickly became part of Juliet’s own style.

“In the early nineties, whilst other girls were going for the fashionable, natural Kate Moss style of the time, I was channelling the Marilyn look day and night - bleached blonde, lashings of bright red lipstick and black flick eyeliner.”

But as Juliet learned more about Marilyn’s life, her interest moved far beyond the glamour of the photographs.

“As I’ve got older and learned about her life, I’ve become equally captivated by the inspirational woman behind the iconic image.”

For Juliet, Marilyn represents vulnerability and resilience, but also intelligence, talent, ambition and the complicated reality of fame.

“I love painting her to capture this emotional depth while celebrating the vibrant, luminous energy and glamour she just radiates.”

The ambitious woman behind the Hollywood icon

Part of Marilyn’s enduring appeal for Juliet is the determination she showed at a time when actresses had relatively little control over their careers.

“What I admire most is her independent spirit and ambition,” Juliet says.

Wanting greater creative control and to be taken seriously as an actress, Marilyn challenged the Hollywood studio system and co-founded her own production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions.

“Talk about girl power! Before it was even a thing.”

It is an aspect of Marilyn’s story that particularly resonates with Juliet as an independent female artist running her own creative business.

“I find this so inspiring and Marilyn an endlessly inspiring subject to paint. I’ve definitely got more Marilyn portraits in me!”

It is this combination of familiar iconography and a much more complicated person underneath it that gives Juliet’s Marilyn Monroe art prints their character. Rather than simply reproducing an instantly recognisable image, Juliet looks for the personality behind it.

Capturing Marilyn through colour

Juliet’s work is known for its bold use of colour, expressive brushwork and celebration of nostalgia.

“My work is all about creating bold, nostalgic paintings, bursting with colour, energy and joy, to transport people back to the moments in time and the icons they loved most.”

When painting Marilyn, Juliet wanted to retain everything people associate with her, the charisma, confidence and unmistakable Hollywood glamour, while suggesting something deeper.

“With Marilyn, I wanted to celebrate her enduring spirit and for viewers to really feel her charisma, confidence and timeless beauty, whilst at the same time resonating with the inspirational woman and her emotional depth behind the glamorous image.”

For anyone choosing Marilyn Monroe wall art, that balance is part of what makes Juliet’s interpretation so distinctive: familiar enough to feel nostalgic yet reimagined in a contemporary artistic style.

Inspired by Hollywood's golden age

Juliet is particularly drawn to Marilyn during Hollywood's golden age.

“The classic publicity photographs, the elegance of the 1950s and those unforgettable cinematic moments have become part of our shared cultural memory.”

Rather than trying to recreate those images exactly, Juliet uses them as a starting point.

“I love reimagining Marilyn through bold colour and expressive, energetic brushwork, giving my Marilyn pieces a vibrant, contemporary feel while preserving the nostalgia people connect with.”

The result is artwork that feels at home among both classic pop-culture imagery and contemporary interiors - a modern interpretation of one of the twentieth century’s most enduring stars.

How Juliet creates a Marilyn portrait

Before Juliet begins painting, the process starts with deciding exactly which side of the subject she wants the finished piece to communicate.

“I spend time selecting the personality and emotion I want to convey before translating it into a portrait in my distinctive painting style using vibrant acrylics and energetic brushstrokes.”

Colour is gradually built up in layers, allowing the portrait to develop its energy and depth.

“Building layers of colour is one of my favourite parts of the process because it's where the portrait really comes alive.”

For Juliet, likeness is only part of a successful portrait.

“My aim is always to create artwork that doesn't just resemble the subject but also captures the essence of their spirit and personality.”

The story behind A Smart Girl

One of Juliet’s Marilyn artworks, A Smart Girl, perhaps best demonstrates how much thought sits behind the individual details of her paintings.

In the piece, Marilyn is depicted in vivid neon colour applying her signature make-up, immediately evoking the glamour of Hollywood.

But look closer, and the painting begins to tell another story.

Juliet places Marilyn leaning forward from a dark background, representing both her strength and resilience against the challenges she experienced, alongside her vulnerability. Across the artwork, Juliet hand-painted the words:

“A Wise Girl Knows Her Limits, A Smart Girl Knows She Has None.”

The phrase was chosen to communicate the intelligence, confidence and spirit Juliet associates with Marilyn.

The words “Marilyn Monroe Productions” also appear within the artwork, referencing the production company Marilyn co-founded and celebrating her ambition and business instincts.

Elsewhere, the word “Blonde” appears in shimmering gold leaf alongside “Chanel” - deliberately playing with the glamorous image associated with Marilyn while reinforcing Juliet’s central message: there was far more to her than the Hollywood persona.

Spray-painted hearts complete the piece, representing the love and warmth Juliet sees within Marilyn's story despite the adversity she faced.

100 years of Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe was born on 1 June 1926, meaning 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of her birth. A hundred years later, her place in popular culture feels remarkably secure.

The photographs, films, fashion and make-up remain instantly recognisable, yet new generations continue to discover the person behind them too. Perhaps that is why artists continue to return to Marilyn.

She can represent Hollywood glamour and nostalgia one moment, then vulnerability, determination, independence and ambition the next. For Juliet Stockton, it is precisely that complexity that keeps Marilyn endlessly interesting. And a century after her birth, there are clearly still more Marilyn portraits waiting to be painted.

Discover Marilyn Monroe art by Juliet Stockton

Celebrate 100 years of an enduring cultural icon with Marilyn Monroe art prints by Juliet Stockton, bringing bold colour, Hollywood nostalgia and Juliet’s expressive contemporary style to your walls.

Explore the collection and discover iconic wall art prints inspired by Marilyn Monroe and some of popular culture’s most unforgettable figures.