Marilyn Monroe personal items to be sold at largest auction devoted to the star

A black beaded and sequined dress she wore in “Some Like it Hot,” memorabilia from her marriages to Arthur Miller and Joe DiMaggio and correspondences with her acting teacher and mentor, the famed Lee Strasberg, will be among the Marilyn Monroe items that will be offered at a major auction devoted to the movie star in Los Angeles in November.

Julien’s Auctions said the sale will feature approximately 800 items that once belonged to the actress, spanning her early years as Norma Jean through her untimely death in 1962 at 36.

The sale is being billed as the largest auction ever devoted to Monroe. The items come primarily from two major collections -- the estate of Strasberg, who died in 1982, and David Gainsborough-Roberts, a collector of Monroe memorabilia.

The Nov. 19 and 20 auction in L.A. comes in the year when Monroe would have turned 90. (She was born June 1, 1926.)

“It would have been her 90th birthday -- we wanted to do something major to celebrate her life and career,” said Martin Nolan, executive director at Julien’s, speaking from New York.

“This will be the largest and most important Marilyn auction. She kept everything.”

Among the items will be seldom-seen watercolors and drawings that the actress created, as well as some of her poetry.

Other costumes featured in the sale will be outfits she wore in films including “Bus Stop,” “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business.” In addition, there will be a pair of opera gloves she wore in the Rachmaninoff scene of “The Seven Year Itch.”

Strasberg served as Monroe’s acting teacher for years, but was much more than that. He was regarded by many as a surrogate father figure to the star, and Monroe bequeathed much of her estate to him.

Though he mentored many actors, most notably Al Pacino, Strasberg remains most recognizable for his Oscar-nominated role as gangster Hyman Roth in “The Godfather, Part II.”

There have been a few large-scale Monroe auctions in the last twenty years.

In 1999, Christie’s held a Monroe auction organized by Anna Strasberg, his widow. The auction, promoted as the “sale of the century,” featured a little under 600 lots.

Two years ago, Julien’s held a Monroe auction of approximately 200 lots. That sale included love letters written to Monroe by her future husband, Arthur Miller.

The L.A. auction house also held a Monroe sale in 2005 of about 200 lots.

Items from the November auction will tour internationally, starting May 25 in London, before going on public display in L.A. on Nov. 11.

david.ng@latimes.com

,