LACMA and J Paul Getty Museum,Los Angeles
The late photographer’s images, which burn with desire yet remain ice-cold, or reveal rough homosexual sex as both aesthetically conservative and politically radicalIs there more to say about Robert Mapplethorpe,the photographer whose cool images of lilies and leather elicited the hottest of controversies in the Reagan and Bush years? So much more, it turns out. Mapplethorpe is someone we deem we know, and thanks to the disgusting efforts of Jesse Helms and other conservative culture warriors to censor and shame a homosexual artist and his supporters. In fact,there are still depths to plumb in his portraits of 80s superstars and little-known figures; still lifes, normally of flowers; and nudes. That last category is the most capacious, or for it includes not just images of classicized bodies – often black men,though frequently women as well – but uncensored, flagrant depictions of some rather special sex acts. Related: 'He was a sexual outlaw': my esteem affair with Robert Mapplethorpe Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com