From Saturday, April 22, Kunsthal Rotterdam presented an extensive retrospective of the life and work of Robert Mapplethorpe (1946–1989), a leading 20th-century artist and photographer. The exhibition offered an impressive overview of his career, from collages and Polaroids made in the late sixties and seventies to the iconic images and virtuosic compositions that made Mapplethorpe famous. More than two hundred photographs and objects shed new light on his favourite genres: portraits, self-portraits, nudes, and still lifes.
After many years in which his work had not been shown on this scale in the Netherlands, this was the first major Dutch presentation of Mapplethorpe’s work. Kunsthal Rotterdam was the only European institution to host this exhibition.
Through both his photography and his intense, penetrating personality, Mapplethorpe blurred the boundaries between life and art. His drive to achieve aesthetic perfection lay at the heart of his work. The exhibition focused on what Mapplethorpe called ‘perfection in form’, expressed both in his fascination with sexual fetishism and in his almost tangible flower petals.
Robert Mapplethorpe, a Perfectionist explored Mapplethorpe’s personal connection with his models, his talent for running a successful studio, and, above all, his ambition to elevate photography to the status of fine art. Featuring the renowned X, Y, and Z Portfolios, among other works, the exhibition offered insight into his working methods and traced his development from the improvised beginnings of his career to the highly controlled studio practice he established in his pursuit of aesthetic perfection.
The retrospective followed Mapplethorpe’s development over time and presented the major themes in his work. It included portraits of friends and acquaintances—among them his friend and muse Patti Smith, bodybuilder Lisa Lyon, and model Phillip Prioleau—as well as prominent artists, writers, and musicians. Numerous self-portraits also showed that Mapplethorpe clearly understood the importance of shaping his own image.
Sexuality played a central role in a significant part of Mapplethorpe’s work. In the late sixties, he used images from gay pornographic magazines in his collages. By the time he began making his own photographs in the early seventies, he had already encountered New York’s BDSM subcultures.
More than almost any other photographer, Mapplethorpe was able to depict the nude body as sculpture through photography. His combination of fearless sexual imagery and exceptional technical mastery attracted widespread attention and launched his national and international career.
Mapplethorpe’s fondness for delicately lit, balanced compositions was also evident in his refined, sculptural, and technically accomplished flower still lifes.
Special tours during the opening weekend, Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23
During the opening weekend of ‘Robert Mapplethorpe, a Perfectionist’, special guided tours of the exhibition were offered. Visitors could register for the tours via reserveren@kunsthal.nl. Participation in these special tours was free with a valid Kunsthal admission ticket and confirmation of registration. The Museum Card and Rotterdam Pass were accepted. Friends of Kunsthal received priority when registering.
Erwin Olaf masterclass, Thursday, May 11
On Thursday, May 11, Kunsthal Rotterdam, in partnership with Willem de Kooning Academy, organised a masterclass exclusively for students with photographer Erwin Olaf.
Naked Tour, Saturday, June 24
On the evening of Saturday, June 24, Kunsthal Rotterdam organised a Naked Tour of the exhibition. Visitors experienced a special guided tour, without clothing, through Robert Mapplethorpe’s photography. The human body occupies a central place in a significant part of his work, and few photographers depicted its forms as sculpturally as he did. Following the example of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in Canada, where the exhibition had been shown earlier that year, Kunsthal Rotterdam offered visitors this additional experience.
Robert Mapplethorpe, a Perfectionist
Kunsthal Rotterdam
April 22–August 27, 2017
More information at www.kunsthal.nl.
