Since her death in 1962, Marilyn Monroe has never been out of the popular imagination. As the 50th anniversary of Monroe's mysterious death approaches, her image has been re-examined.

There was My Week with Marilyn, the Oscar-nominated biopic starring Michelle Williams. It came out last November. Last month, a new NBC series, Smash, about a fictional Monroe-themed Broadway musical, made its debut.

The latest take on Monroe is the exhibition at the Getty Images Gallery in London which opened last week. It's a collection of photographs, dresses and other memorabilia.

In the early 1950s, as her movie career took off, Monroe established her image as a "sex goddess". Her status grows with the passing years and she is now a cultural icon–a one-of-a-kind.

"Monroe was divine and profane at the same time," said a 2008 article in Vanity Fair about Monroe's legacy. "And she quickly entered the realm of myth and metaphor as Hollywood's most famous martyred saint."

Monroe was a "sex goddess" who was emotionally immature. Many people talk about the sadness in her eyes, her vulnerability and how she cultivated an archetype in part to hide her own inadequacies.

Monroe once said "Marilyn" was a persona which she had to "don". Consisting of makeup, wardrobe and attitude, "Marilyn" took hours to prepare.

As "Marilyn", Norma Jeane Mortenson (Monroe's birth name) could lose her thoughts and memories of her early life (she spent time in foster homes and orphanages) and bask in the adoration and worship of her fans.

Monroe's failed relationships with men made worse her emotional vulnerability. In her short 36-year life, Monroe was married three times, all ending in divorce.

"If even a woman that beautiful clearly has trouble and is damaged and has insecurities, then we're all entitled," Michelle Williams told the Los Angeles Times.

Williams said she believes there was something to admire in how Monroe crafted her image.

"To be Marilyn Monroe, to be what people expected, to be that open and sexual and gorgeous, it takes an incredible amount of effort."

"I read something where she said that it's a very difficult thing to be when one is feeling unlovable," Williams said. "It's a drain to put out that much energy. It leaves you exhausted."