Robert Mapplethorpe is one of those photographers who has really defined an era. Back in the New York of 70s and 80s, he portrayed the beauty of the subversive and scandal by shooting people like Grace Jones, Andy Warhol and Patti Smith. A special exhibition at London’s Alison Jacques gallery has started on 11th September and focuses on a different angle of his art, especially tracing his relationship with the fashion system. By working for Vogue Paris and Vogue Italia, he loved to take pictures of real identities, including the fetish and the sexual side of them. His life was all about glamour and beauty but never in a corny way.
“Robert Mapplethorpe: Fashion Show” has been organized and co-curated by his very first lover, the model David Croland, who wants to showcase more about Mapplethorpe’s personality and interests. For this reason, Croland himself has prepared a commentary to describe who Robert Mapplethorpe really was and what he was actually trying to demonstrate with his job.
This is a perfect – and rare – occasion to discover an iconic artist from a different point of view. There is also a special book “Mapplethorpe Polaroids”, edited by Sylvia Woolf and published by Prestel, that is currently available at libraries in UK and US.
The show will last until 5th October.
