André de Dienes

(American, 1913–1985)

André de Dienes was an American-Hungarian fashion photographer best known for his iconic portraits of the young model Norma Jean Baker, before she became the famed actress Marilyn Monroe. Dienes and Monroe went on to collaborate for almost a decade, resulting in his some of his most acclaimed work and her most enduring images. Born Andor György Ikafalvi-Dienes on December 18, 1913 in Turia, Transylvania (present-day Romania), he worked in print editorial after moving to Paris in 1933 to study art. Emigrating to the United States in 1938, he worked for Esquire, Vogue, Life, before setting out west to document Native American tribes, including the Hopi, Apache, and Navajo. Having relocated to California in 1944, he first time he met Monroe was in 1945 when she was only 19 years old. Throughout the course of his life he photographed several celebrities, including Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando, Ingrid Bergman, and Ronald Reagan. The artist died on April 11, 1985 in Hollywood, CA at the age of 71.