Robert Mapplethorpe
20 Mar - 31 Jul 2016
Robert Mapplethorpe (United States, 1946-1989)
United States, New York, New York, 1976
Patti Smith
Photographs
Gelatin silver print
Image: 13 3/4 × 13 13/16 in. (34.93 × 35.08 cm) Primary support: 19 15/16 × 15 13/16 in. (50.64 × 40.16 cm) Frame: 25 1/4 × 24 1/4 in. (64.14 × 61.6 cm)
Jointly acquired by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The J. Paul Getty Trust. Partial gift of The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation; partial purchase with funds provided by The J. Paul Getty Trust and the David Geffen Foundation. (M.2011.30.4)
United States, New York, New York, 1976
Patti Smith
Photographs
Gelatin silver print
Image: 13 3/4 × 13 13/16 in. (34.93 × 35.08 cm) Primary support: 19 15/16 × 15 13/16 in. (50.64 × 40.16 cm) Frame: 25 1/4 × 24 1/4 in. (64.14 × 61.6 cm)
Jointly acquired by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The J. Paul Getty Trust. Partial gift of The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation; partial purchase with funds provided by The J. Paul Getty Trust and the David Geffen Foundation. (M.2011.30.4)
ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE
The Perfect Medium
20 March – 31 July 2016
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. Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Medium 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. The exhibition also highlights the artist’s relationship to New York's sexual and artistic undergrounds, as well as his experimentation with a variety of media.
Also on view, the exhibition Physical: Sex and the Body in the 1980s presents 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 J. Paul Getty Museum is presenting a companion exhibition exploring Mapplethorpe's disciplined studio practice and his fascination with classical form and the fine photographic print.
The Perfect Medium
20 March – 31 July 2016
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. Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Medium 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. The exhibition also highlights the artist’s relationship to New York's sexual and artistic undergrounds, as well as his experimentation with a variety of media.
Also on view, the exhibition Physical: Sex and the Body in the 1980s presents 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 J. Paul Getty Museum is presenting a companion exhibition exploring Mapplethorpe's disciplined studio practice and his fascination with classical form and the fine photographic print.