March 15–July 31, 2016 at The Getty Center
Robert Mapplethorpe (American, 1946–1989) is among the most influential visual artists of the late twentieth century. This major retrospective exhibition reexamines the arc of his photographic work from its humble beginnings in the early 1970s to the culture wars of the 1990s. Drawn from the landmark acquisition made in 2011 from the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, the exhibition mixes Mapplethorpe's most iconic images with lesser-known photographs. Two complementary presentations, one at the J. Paul Getty Museum and another at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, are designed to highlight different aspects of the artist’s complex personality.
March 20, 2016–July 31, 2016 LACMA BCAM, Level 2
Robert Mapplethorpe’s practice as an artist was characterized by inherent dualities. He sought what he called “perfection in form” in everything from acts of sexual fetishism to the elegant contours of flower petals. This exhibition explores Mapplethorpe's body of work through early drawings, collages, sculptures, and Polaroid photography; materials from his archive; portraits, still lifes, and figure studies; rare color photographs; and two seldom-seen moving image works. A companion exhibition will be presented simultaneously at the J. Paul Getty Museum.
The exhibition at LACMA highlights the artist’s relationship to New York's sexual and artistic undergrounds, as well as his experimentation with a variety of media. Additionally, the exhibition will be accompanied by Physical: Sex and the Body in the 1980s, a focused installation of work by other artists drawn from LACMA’s permanent collection that helps place Mapplethorpe in conversation with the art of the 1980s. The companion exhibition at the Getty explores Mapplethorpe's disciplined studio practice and his fascination with classical form and the fine photographic print.
This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum.
