Robert Mapplethorpe, Joe, N.Y.C, 1978, Gelatin Silver Print, 7.11/16 x 7.5/8 in, Jointly acquired by the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Partial gift of the Robert Mapplethorpe foundation, partial purchase with funds provided by the J. Paul Getty Trust and the David Geffen Foundation.
Robert Mapplethorpe’s pictures have as much impact today as they did when he first showed them in the heydays of New York City from the 1970 to the 1990s. His work remains as relevant, for its honest depiction of sexuality that raged a cultural war but also because they way it exposes subcultures in a poetic light. Robert Mapplethorpe explored the medium of photography to its limits, from figurative to abstract and drew criticism from the establishment and subcultures alike. His highly influential practice and iconic sexual aesthetic is present across portraits, nudes, still lifes, but it also extends to drawings, collage and sculptures and even jewellery. Now for the first time in America the extended oeuvre of Mapplethorpe can be seen in Los Angeles LACMA and Getty museums in a programme that also includes a critical discussion over the artist’s “Z Portfolio” and his objectification of the black male.
“I went into photography because it seemed like the perfect vehicle for commenting on the madness of today’s existence.” Mapplethorpe
Robert Mapplethorpe, Brian Ridley and Lyle Heeter, 1979, Gelatin Silver Print, 35.56.x 35.56 cm, Promised gift of the Robert Mapplethorpe to the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Copyright Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation
Robert Mapplethorpe, Pati Smith, 1978, Gelatin Silver Print, 35.24 x 34.93 cm, Promised gift of the Robert Mapplethorpe to the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Copyright Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation
Robert Mapplethorpe, Two Men Dancing, 1984, Gelatin Silver Print, 48.5 x 38.6 cm, Promised gift of the Robert Mapplethorpe to the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Copyright Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation
Robert Mapplethorpe, Lisa Lyon, 1982, Gelatin Silver Print, 38.58 x 38.58 cm, Promised gift of the Robert Mapplethorpe to the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Copyright Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation
Robert Mapplethorpe, Parrot Tulips 1988, Gelatin Silver Print, 52.55 x 66.04 cm, Promised gift of the Robert Mapplethorpe to the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Copyright Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation
Robert Mapplethorpe, Self-Portrait, 1980, Gelatin Silver Print, 34.93 x 34.93 cm, Promised gift of the Robert Mapplethorpe to the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Copyright Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation
Robert Mapplethorpe, Tim Scott, 1980, Gelatin Silver Print, 35.4 x 35.56 cm, Promised gift of the Robert Mapplethorpe to the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Copyright Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation
Robert Mapplethorpe, Lucinda’s Hand, 1985, Gelatin Silver Print, 48.74 x 38.74 cm, Promised gift of the Robert Mapplethorpe to the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Copyright Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation
Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Medium” is at LACMA and Getty Museum in Los Angeles until 31 July 2016