Lisa Lyon, 1982, Robert Mapplethorpe, gelatin silver print. Promised Gift of The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation to The J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation

Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Medium

GETTY CENTER

West Pavilion, Lower Level



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.


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