Marilyn Monroe, Arms Up
Availability & Purchase Enquiry
Signed lifetime prints by George Zimbel are available through the archive and our partner galleries. To learn about pricing, availability, or to ask a question, please complete the form below and let us know whether you’d prefer to purchase directly, connect with a gallery, or join the waiting list for future digital prints. We’ll reply within one business day.
Learn the story behind this piece
The Double Presence
Marilyn Monroe Arms Up shows her standing above the subway grate during the 1954 filming of The Seven Year Itch, hands behind her head, elbows bent in a striking pose. Behind her, a crisp shadow stretches across the wall, echoing her form and doubling her presence in the frame.
Performance and Reflection
George Zimbel often noticed what others overlooked. Here he captures not only Monroe herself but her shadow — the reminder that every performance carries both the reality and the projection. Marilyn looks playful yet controlled, while her shadow looms larger, almost theatrical, against the backdrop.
Why Collect Black-and-White Photography?
Because it reveals layers. In Arms Up, the absence of colour sharpens the contrast between light, figure, and shadow. You don’t just see Monroe posing; you see the energy she cast into the space around her. Collectors value this photograph for its tension between the glamorous icon and the abstract form she left behind.
Cultural Significance
Zimbel’s photographs of Monroe have been exhibited worldwide, including at MoMA in New York and the IVAM in Spain. Marilyn Monroe Arms Up is prized because it shows more than a famous scene — it offers both the star and her shadow, the light and the trace, the person and the image that continues to resonate through time.
Availability & Enquiries
Signed lifetime prints by George Zimbel are available through the archive and our partner galleries. To learn about pricing, availability, or to ask a question, please complete the form below and let us know whether you’d prefer to purchase directly, connect with a gallery, or join the waiting list for future digital prints. We’ll reply within one business day.
For more on this unforgettable night, see the documentary The Night I Shot Marilyn.
More about George Zimbel: About George Zimbel. More about Andrew Zimbel: About Andrew Zimbel.
Shipping & Framing Info
Delivery & Framing Options
We’re happy to deliver anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area in person. For orders outside the GTA, shipping rates are quoted post-purchase—we ship worldwide and always strive to keep costs fair. If you’d prefer a gallery handle framing or delivery, our partner galleries can help:
Please let us know whether you’d like to purchase directly through us or connect with a gallery for purchase or framing assistance.
Special Projects & Licensing
George Zimbel’s photography is available for licensing and creative collaborations. His work has been featured in the Four Seasons Hotel Montreal and on international book covers, and is widely represented through Getty Images.
Our team — Andrew Zimbel (creative consultant), Matt Zimbel (producer & creator), and Elka Weinstein (museum and heritage specialist) — brings experience in art, media, and exhibition design. We work with interior designers, film producers, publishers, and advertising agencies to adapt George’s timeless imagery for spaces, stories, and campaigns.
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