Ritzy desert city's bitter fight over giant statue of Marilyn Monroe that's scandalized residents takes fresh turn

A massive Marilyn Monroe statue that has towered over Palm Springs for years will be moved following a lengthy legal battle. 

Measuring in at 26 feet, Forever Marilyn can be found right on the cusp of the California city's downtown.

It's been there since June 2021, but has spurred some controversy.   

Residents have aired unease over the Marilyn monolith's more risqué qualities, as it is modeled after the star's seminal scene in 1955's 'The Seven Year Itch.'

It also blocks the view of the Palm Springs Art Museum - reasons that have successfully swayed the city in a bid to have it removed. But it won't be going far - after already being relocated five times.

A massive Marilyn Monroe statue that has towered over Palm Springs for years will be moved following a lengthy legal battle

The statue has been set in the since June 2021, but has spurred some controversy within that span

'The City of Palm Springs is pleased to announce that, during today's closed session, the City Council reached an agreement in principle with P.S. Resorts and CReMa to relocate the Forever Marilyn sculpture,' The Palm Springs City Council said Thursday.

The new site has yet 'to be determined', but the statue's new home will be somewhere in the Downtown Park, the city said.

Officials said they expect to have finalization of the specific location within the nearby park within the next month, during which they will move forward with the street vacation.   

A public hearing held to work our the logistics of the vacation was held that evening. 

'The City Council is very pleased to have found a satisfactory solution to this issue, which has divided so many within our community,' the statement concluded.

The saga surrounding the statue goes as far back as 14 years ago, when it was first installed on the Magnificent Mile section of Chicago in 2011.      

However, the statue was quickly vandalized three times - with the executive director of the Chicago Public Arts Group at the time seemingly blaming the incidents on the state's sexually suggestive nature.

'In our society, we have little room for sexually expressive images', Jon Pounds was quoted as saying by The Chicago Tribune after the statue was splashed with red paint.

Residents have aired unease over the Marilyn monolith's more risqué qualities, leading to a now -being-settled lawsuit

The statue is modeled after the star's seminal scene in 1955's 'The Seven Year Itch,' where wind from a Manhattan subway grate sent her dress up in an iconic display

'The social contract doesn't work, because it is itself laden with political meaning.' 

It was moved within a year to the corner of Palm Canyon Drive and Tahquitz Canyon Way in Palm Springs, after which it was relocated yet again following a farewell sendoff at the Palm Springs Village Fest in March 2014.  

It's new home for the next year-and-a-half would be the 42-acre Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey, as part of a 2014 retrospective honoring its creator, Seward Johnson, who was born in New Brunswick. Johnson died in March 2020 at age 89.

However, due to its popularity, the statue stayed, that is until September 2015 when it was set to be moved yet again, following the end of the retrospective.

It was then transported more than 10,000 miles away to Rosalind Park in the Australian city of Bendigo, where it headed the Bendigo Art Gallery's Marilyn Monroe exhibit.

Then, in 2018, the statue was brought back to the States at Latham Park in Stamford, Connecticut, where it was part of yet another exhibition honoring the works of Johnson.

It again sparked controversy as residents complained it appeared to flash her underwear at a nearby church.

Meanwhile, officials in Pasadena were campaigning to have Forever Marilyn returned, as it had a big hit locally and was missed.

It also blocks the view of the Palm Springs Art Museum, some said - reasons that have successfully swayed the city in a bid to have it removed

The city has assured residents the statue won't be going far - after already being relocated five times before

Within a year, then-Palm Springs mayor Robert Moon would announce the statue's return, after being stored in a dismantled state in The Garden State following the Johnson exhibit's conclusion

After another year-and-a-half, it was unveiled just east of the Palm Springs Art Museum in April of 2021 - a location announced just two months before. 

Per the announcement, Forever Marilyn was set to remain in the affluent California town for up to three years, after which the statue's local economic impact would be reviewed and its future decided.

However, litigation seeking to block the erection of the installation was filled in the California courts within two months, by a body known as the Committee to Relocate Marilyn (or Crema), which included several influential Palm Springs residents.

Among them was fashion designer Trina Turk and collector Chris Menrad, who took issue not only with the placement of the sculpture but the protracted closure of part of Museum Way to allow tourists to flock to it.  

Crema argued the decision was beyond the city council's approval, and saw their dismissed within another two months.  

However, the suit was reinstated on appeal last year and had been making its way through the Riverside County Superior Court.

Also involved was the hotel group that owns the statue, PS Resorts, who worked alongside the city in an attempt to settle the lawsuit.

The suit was filed by a body known as the Committee to Relocate Marilyn (or Crema), which included influential Palm Springs residents like fashion designer Trina Turk and collector Chris Menrad

The piece was crafted by prominent artist Seward Johnson, who passed away in March 2020 at 89

For now, the parties are set to meet later this week to discuss the specific location within the Downtown Park where 'Forever Marilyn' will be relocated, as well as the payment of attorneys fees and other costs, the city said

All have since issued statements acknowledging the settlement negotiations are still taking place, as a new, concrete location remains up in the air.

But based on the city's statement, it appears the protracted legal battle has finally come to a close - pending another passerby taking issue with the piece's sum and substance.

For now, the three parties are set to meet later this week to discuss the specific location within the Downtown Park where 'Forever Marilyn' will be relocated, as well as the payment of attorneys' fees and other costs, the city said Thursday.