[Marilyn Monroe is Waiting for Someone] is a piece of Tan’s Monroe Series.

In [Marilyn Monroe is Waiting for Someone], a gentle breeze drifts into the car, ruffling Monroe’s hair and stirring the cigarette smoke between her fingers. The bodily elegance painted by Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) finds its expression in Monroe’s slightly leaning posture. The texture of the seat behind her was rubbed with foam. At first glance, the muzzle lurking in the shadow looks like the vent of the cool breeze. The connections among the car window, Monroe’s beautiful hair and cigarette smoke renders the imagery as gentle and smooth as river water.

Tan created this work on the basis of a real social event in which a woman decided to sacrifice herself by hiring a gunman to kill her in exchange for her family’s happiness brought by the insurance coverage. In this painting, Monroe replaced the woman as the protagonist. She knowingly waits for the moment with a dreamy expression on her face, showing a subtle touch of sorrow.