Palm Springs
PS Resorts and The Seward Johnson Atelier, Inc. (owners of the sculpture Forever Marilyn) recently confirmed reports that the monumental sculpture of Marilyn Monroe will return to Palm Springs after seven years on the road. And this time for good!
Although contracts are still in-process, an agreement has been reached and the plans include the installation of Johnson’s Forever Marilyn in Palm Springs in February 2020. The price of the sculpture has not been released at this time.
The proposed site plan for the permanent installation, pending the approval of all respective parties, is the entry courtyard of the Town and Country Center. Built in 1948, the center was one of the first high-profile real estate projects for the city.
The team from the Seward Johnson Atelier will install the sculpture after it once again travels across the country in an open flatbed truck from the artist’s East Coast studio, arriving for a spectacular crane-lift install process in Palm Springs. The celebrations for Marilyn’s arrival have yet to be planned, but the community will be informed as those details develop.
The successful completion of this project comes thanks to many key members of the Palm Springs political, tourist and cultural arenas, including Grit Development and the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation (update: PSPF wishes to note that it is not in favor of the statue being located in the Town & Country Center). Thanks are also due to the many citizens who have kept the project top of mind and continued to hold out hope for Marilyn’s return.
The sculptor, Seward Johnson, 89, said, “I am so very pleased that Marilyn will be permanently on view in Palm Springs. It was, after all, a location of her own choosing, and I assume that she was drawn to the beauty and stillness of the landscape. There is something about her pose; the exuberance for life without inhibition, which is quintessentially American, and very fitting for Palm Springs. It expresses an uninhibited sense of our own vibrancy.”
UPDATE: Forever Marilyn to Return to Palm Springs on April 25, 2021.
Aftab Dada, Chairman of PS Resorts added, “As in the past, the Board of PS Resorts is thrilled to have Marilyn back on a permanent basis. Marilyn will once again prove to be a huge economic driver and a benefit to our Downtown.”
About The Seward Johnson Atelier: The Seward Johnson Atelier, Inc. was incorporated to promote the appreciation of, and education about, sculpture and public art in general, primarily through the creation, maintenance, sales and public placement of Seward Johnson’s artwork.
About PS Resorts: PS Resorts was founded in 2010 for the purpose of promoting tourism through events and attractions in Palm Springs. The organization is a non-profit private–public partnership of City and local tourism industry leaders.
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