late June – Bert Stern begins shooting The Last Sitting in New York City, the last series of photographs taken of Marilyn Monroe, originally for Vogue magazine; later published as a book.
December 14 – Leonardo da Vinci's early 16th-century painting the Mona Lisa is assessed for insurance purposes at US$100 million before touring the United States for several months, the highest insurance value for a painting in history. However, the Louvre, its owner, chooses to spend the money that would have been spent on the insurance premium on security instead.