The late Robert Mapplethorpe was undoubtedly one of the most provocative artists of the twentieth century, and his work is still revered today. So much so, that for the first time, the Getty Museum and Los Angeles County Museum of Art jointly acquired Mapplethorpe’s art archive- valued at thirty million- and have been exhibiting his works, simultaneously at both museums since late October, running through March 24th.
These works were provided by the New York based Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, and include over 2,000 prints, mixed-media, trademark black and white images, polaroids, floral still-lifes, male nudes, S&M scenes, films, as well as former girlfriend Patti Smith’s infamous album cover Horses. While Mapplethorpe’s photographs elicit a sense of shock-and-awe- fetishistic portrayals of male nudes and bondage- he clearly made a distinctive statement regarding sexuality overall. Following that period, his iconic florals- specifically lilies- appeared gentler, and even mainstream after his more explicit works, yet their highly-stylized sophistication and beauty mesmerize all.
A native New Yorker, Robert Mapplethorpe attended art school at the Pratt Institute, and began his career in the late 1960’s. By 1970, he had discovered the Polaroid camera which would become a useful tool for his art, and felt it kept his work honest. Inspired by the gritty sexual underlife to which his imagery projected, his vast, powerful body of work and legacy would remain timeless- living on through his foundation, which has been a beacon for AIDS research well past his death in 1989- and continues to carry on.
Getty Museum: In Focus: Robert Mapplethorpe www.getty.edu LACMA: Robert Mapplethorpe: XYZ www.lacma.org
