In 1962, shortly after the death of Marilyn Monroe, her obituary in The New York Times contained a quote from Billy Wilder, who directed her in Some Like It Hot. “She had flesh which photographed like flesh,” he said. “You feel you can reach out and touch it.”

In the article, this is treated as evidence of Marilyn’s undeniable magnetism – the ineffable star power that radiated through the camera and transfixed audiences like no other actor before her. And yet, Wilder’s words also reveal what so many felt, and continue to feel about Marilyn: that if you just stretch far enough, you will be able to more than simply touch her; you will be able to truly know her.

It’s a sentiment that’s been more prevalent than ever this year. Already, we’ve had the release of two new documentaries: the poorly received Netflix true-crime inspired The Mystery Of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes and CNN’s Reframed: Marilyn Monroe, which aimed to view Monroe’s story through a feminist lens. She was ‘digitally reimagined’ on the cover of magazine CR Fashion Book, wearing contemporary designs from the likes of Balenciaga, Fendi and Miu Miu. While in May, Andy Warhol’s 1964 portrait, Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, became the most expensive piece of 20th century art, selling for a record $195 million (£180m). That same month, Kim Kardashian sparked outrage by wearing the actual dress that Monroe wore to serenade John F Kennedy on his birthday to the Met Gala (undertaking a worryingly extreme weight loss to fit into it and reportedly causing damage to the dress in the process).