An Admirer of Eleonora Duse: Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jeane Baker Mortenson, Los Angeles 1926 – Los Angeles 1962) was a great admirer of Eleonora Duse (Vigevano 1858 – Pittsburgh 1924): for chronological reasons, she did not have the opportunity to know her personally, but from her indirect lesson, she learned the dedication to work and the constant desire to perfect her artistic career. The original photo of Duse that Marilyn had in her house, is the tangible proof of this admiration: in 1952, the photographer Philippe Halsman made a shooting that reveals how much the young American actress aspired to become like the great Italian diva. This dream has come true. This paper explains how admiration for an artist could be a productive mechanism on the artistic, spiritual and human level.