Play the Part: Marlene Dietrich
International Center of Photography, New York
Through January 8, 2024
[Portrait of Marlene Dietrich], 1932
Collection Pierre Passebon
Play the Part: Marlene Dietrich, on view at the International Center of Photography (ICP), examines the multifaceted evolution of Dietrich’s public persona with 250 photographs made between 1905 and 1978. The exhibition provides a window into Marlene Dietrich’s complex and intrepid life as well as the rapid transformations in the entertainment industry – from silent film to television – in which she thrived, cementing a legacy as one of the 20th century’s most dynamic and iconic artists.
Play the Part offers insight into Marlene Dietrich’s mastery of her own image in the era of studio-dominated movie making and distribution in Hollywood—a system that dissolved in the 1960s, drastically shifting the centers of power in the industry. Among the images on view are studio-commissioned publicity portraits, identifiable by the appearance of Marlene Dietrich's autograph, often in her distinctive green ink. The exhibition showcases captivating works by Hollywood photographers such as George Hurrell, Eugene Robert Richee, and William Walling Jr., alongside iconic photographs by renowned artists including Eve Arnold, Richard Avedon, Cecil Beaton, Alfred Eisenstadt, Horst P. Horst, Lee Miller, Irving Penn, and Edward Steichen. Play the Part, drawn from the Pierre Passebon Collection and on view in the U.S. for the first time, also highlights film stills, set pictures, and other candid photographs, many of which are unpublished and rarely seen.
Born in Berlin, Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992) was a performer renowned for her starring roles in films such as The Blue Angel (1930), the first feature-length German talkie, and her foundational partnership with filmmaker Josef von Sternberg. In 1930, opposing the ascending Nazi regime, she emigrated to the United States, ultimately renouncing her German citizenship. During World War II, she actively supported US troops, donated funds to refugees, and toured with the USO. In recognition of her efforts, she became the first woman to be awarded the Medal of Freedom in 1947. In the 1950s, she transitioned primarily to live performances, captivating audiences in theaters worldwide. Her final film appearance was in Just a Gigolo (1979), after which she withdrew from performing and public life.
Marlene Dietrich's infatuation with photography and creating her own image blossomed at the start of her career. In 1964 she told an interviewer, “I had no desire to be a film actress, to always play somebody else, to be always beautiful...” She utilized camera angles, lighting, makeup, and editing to perfect her appearance, adapting her techniques as she aged and as photo technology advanced. This control, combined with her daring fashion choices and uninhibited sexual expression, crafted a public persona of an auteur with unwavering self-assurance. Play the Part: Marlene Dietrich showcases Dietrich's remarkable ability to reinvent herself for each new audience, staying atop her chosen field throughout.
“ICP is delighted to present Play the Part: Marlene Dietrich, including hundreds of striking and rarely seen images of one of the 20th century's most boundary breaking and captivating personas,” said David E. Little, ICP’s Executive Director. “It has been a joy to collaborate with passionate collector Pierre Passebon, who has used his extraordinary eye to assemble an utterly unique and engaging collection of photographs of Dietrich. Pierre’s collection reveals the complexities of Marlene Dietrich’s many images and guises. The exhibition invites audiences to explore Dietrich’s multifaceted relationship to photography and its enduring power to shape society’s understanding of culture.”
Dietrich played many parts throughout her life, both on and off the screen: seductress, matriarch, war hero, socialite. Each of these roles is a testament to her understanding of and adaptability to the industry she worked within. The roles also reveal Marlene Dietrich’s relentless obsession with the medium of photography.
This exhibition is curated by Haley Kane, Exhibitions and Collections Coordinator at ICP.
ICP - INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY
79 Essex Street, New York, NY 10002
Play the Part: Marlene Dietrich - ICP - September 29, 2023 – January 8, 2024
