Forever Marilyn’ statue is returning to Palm Springs, but some locals aren’t welcoming it

A nearly 30-foot statue of Marilyn Monroe is headed back to Palm Springs. Called “Forever Marilyn,” it depicts one of the most iconic images of the actress, from the movie “The Seven Year Itch” where she’s standing over a New York City subway grate, and her white dress seductively billows up around her. The late artist J. Seward Johnson created the statue. It weighs more than 30,000 pounds, and for the past few years, it’s been on tour across the U.S. and even one stint in Australia.

But not everyone is happy about its return to Palm Springs. Some find the work sexist, misogynistic, and just plain tacky. LA Times art columnist, Christopher Knight called it a “grotesque colossus” and 34,000 pounds of “wasted stainless steel.”