From icon to controversy: Palm Springs' Marilyn Monroe statue faces relocation

Palm Springs' giant Marilyn Monroe statue is on the move, city hall revealed Aug. 1. Ever since they put up that massive Marilyn, it's been nothing but drama.

You know the scene - Marilyn on the subway grate, dress flying up. That's what the statue shows. Tourists love it, but plenty of locals and groups have been fighting to get it removed. 

After a truce on both sides, the city council is shipping Marilyn off Museum Way to another spot in the adjacent Downtown Park. The agreement, expected to be finalized by counsel within 30 days, is intended to conclude the protracted dispute. 

Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein told the city council, "I don't think it was a battle worth fighting. This only hurts preservation efforts. And I feel strongly about preservation efforts here." 

On July 25, officials announced at a city council meeting that they had consented to relocate the sculpture, citing a desire to halt the expenditure on costly litigation. 

Supporters argue the statue boosts tourism, with city data showing it draws tens of thousands of visitors monthly. On a recent afternoon, tourists could be seen snapping photos at the sculpture's base despite scorching temperatures.

"That's why we came today — to take pictures," said Lauri Hatcher, a former Palm Springs resident visiting the statue. "Because it makes me super sad."

"It was immediately embraced by visitors," said Scott White, the president and chief executive of Visit Greater Palm Springs, the tourism marketing agency for the Coachella Valley. "She's been a huge success."

Critics have called the statue tacky, sexist, and inappropriate for its location near the Palm Springs Art Museum. Some object that it blocks museum views and confronts visitors with Monroe's exposed underwear as they exit.

"We've been working for years to preserve the mid century modern architecture of Palm Springs," said Trina Turk, a fashion designer with a store and residence in Palm Springs who spearheaded the opposition, in an interview. "Museum Way was built to provide a view corridor from Palm Canyon Drive, the main thoroughfare, to the entrance to the museum."

The Committee to Relocate Marilyn (Crema) filed a lawsuit against the city and P.S. Resorts in 2021, contending that the pedestrian-only street, Museum Way, where the statue was located, had been unlawfully closed to traffic. 

"At a time when sexual violence is on the rise, and women continue to be demonized around the globe, this piece is a throwback, a relic of sexist, patriarchal attitudes," said Elizabeth Armstrong, a former director of the museum. 

The sculpture, which had been traveling throughout the country, was acquired by P.S. Resorts, a hotel committee that advocates for tourism, for $1 million in 2021. However, it generated controversy from the outset. 

In an interview, Peggy Trott, chairwoman of P.S. Resorts, stated that the organization could now "move on and start focusing on funding new events that are going to generate more tourism." 

The Palm Springs Art Museum's executive director, Adam Lerner, expressed his satisfaction with the outcome. "The museum is thrilled by the City Council's decision to relocate the statue to the adjacent park," he stated, "where residents and tourists can continue to enjoy it, and that will still allow for an unobstructed view of the museum." 

A precise location for the statue's relocation remains to be determined. The 1.5-acre park is extensively landscaped with palm trees and other features.