Milton Greene

Milton Greene (1922–1985) is often mentioned alongside Richard Avedon, Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn, and Norman Parkinson as one of the early pioneers who elevated fashion photography into the realm of fine art. Widely recognized for his groundbreaking adoption of color photography and his creative vision as a director, Greene left an indelible mark on the genre by capturing not only the outer beauty but the essence of his subjects.

Born in New York, Greene began taking photographs at the age of fourteen. Although offered a scholarship to Pratt Institute, he chose instead to apprentice under established photographers Elliot Elisofen and Louise Dahl-Wolfe. By his early twenties, his work was already appearing in major publications such as Life, Look, Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country, and Vogue. Throughout his career, Greene photographed an astonishing array of personalities from film, stage, music, and the arts, including Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich, Sammy Davis Jr., Elizabeth Taylor, Cary Grant, Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn, Andy Warhol, and Alfred Hitchcock, among many others.

Greene is perhaps best known for his close personal and professional relationship with Marilyn Monroe. Prior to her marriage to Arthur Miller, Monroe lived with Greene and his wife, formed a production company with him, and shared a deep friendship built on trust and creative collaboration. Their more than fifty photography sittings resulted in some of the most iconic and intimate images ever taken of the actress. These portraits revealed Monroe’s emotional range and inner life, conveying her vulnerability, playfulness, and strength in ways rarely captured elsewhere.

Despite his prominence and access to elite cultural figures, Greene rarely exhibited his work during his lifetime. His vast archive—comprising over 300,000 images—is now carefully preserved and cataloged by his son, Joshua Greene. Milton Greene’s photography has been featured in more than sixteen books, including My Story: The Autobiography of Marilyn Monroe, which Monroe entrusted to Greene as a testament to their close bond. His portraits of Monroe remain some of the most celebrated in 20th-century photography and continue to shape her legacy as both icon and individual.