Simple, flashy at Marilyn Monroe exhibit

BATH, England, March 12 (UPI) -- The curator of an exhibit of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia opening in Britain Saturday said it is notable for the number of less-than-glamorous items on display.

Laura Beresford told CNN the exhibit "Marilyn -- Hollywood Icon" includes a reflection of her overall simple tastes.

"For a girl who is famous for singing about and extolling the virtues of diamonds, she herself was not material in any way," said Beresford.

One of the more interesting pieces in the collection on display in Bath at the American Museum in Britain, Beresford said, is a brass figurine of a dancer that belonged to Monroe when she was a child in an orphanage.

"Apparently, she used to hold this brass figure and tell people that this is what she was going to be, she was going to be this star," said Beresford.

Other items do reflect the glamour attached to Monroe since her death in 1962, including the iconic white dress that went billowing up as a subway passed by in the classic street scene from "The Seven Year Itch."