MARILYN MONROE’S SCARF SAVED THEATER FROM BANKRUPTCY

Bankruptcy, which threatened the unique theater of Paris, located in the Rue de la Gaîté lane in the Montparnasse district, was avoided thanks to the light silk scarf, which many journalists hastened to call the “Marilyn Monroe’s scarf”.

Theater La Comédie Italienne, engaged in staging Italian comedies del arte, was in danger of bankruptcy. Attilio Maggili, the CEO and founder of the theater, was forced to sell the accessory in a private collection for almost € 300 thousand in order to save the institution. The name of the buyer has not been disclosed for obvious reasons.  

Now we can say that forgetfulness of the American film star allowed the theater to be protected from bankruptcy.

The embroidered lace scarf passed from hand to hand for many years until it became the property of the head of La Comédie Italienne. The scarf was originally found in the apartments of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, where the actress stayed. Moving from one owner to another, the scarf managed to stay at Andy Warhol’s, get to the expressionist artist and gallery owner Leo Castelli, and then moved from him to Attilio Maggili.

The silk scarf inherited from the American icon of the 1960s was the mascot of Maggili. It had been exhibited in the center of his reception for many years, keeping a smell and involuntarily evoking memories associated with Marilyn Monroe. It is no coincidence that experts in the field of literature and psychology call such things “Proust's Madeleines”. In the novel “In Search of Lost Time”, the great writer artistically identified the associative connections between tastes, smells and memories of the past. Now one of these “Madeleines” has found its price.   

The sale of “Marilyn’s scarf” is also a sort of tragedy for the theater’s leadership because just a few years before, Fabio Fabi’s play entitled “Marilyn Monroe’s scarf” was staged.

The play tells the story of a granddaughter visiting her grandmother, suffering from senile dementia. A fate of the elderly woman was reminiscent of the tragic life of Marilyn Monroe.

The experts note that the financial affairs of Maggili were crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, after a deal with a Marilyn’s scarf at the auction, the theater will successfully pay the bills and avoid bankruptcy. Theater experts note that this is the only theater in Paris that stages del arte comedies. This year, the theater is celebrating its 46^th birthday.