When Robert Mapplethorpe first acquired a Hasselblad medium-format camera in the mid-70s, he put it to use by photographing his friends, musicians, celebrities and––most notoriously––New York’s S&M scene. In the following years, his name became synonymous with the culture wars of the 80s. And today, nearly 25 years after his landmark exhibition The Perfect Moment (a controversial show that was censored in 1989 after a congressional uproar over its erotic imagery), Sean Kelly gallery brings us a celebratory retrospective, Saints and Sinners.
The new show includes pieces from that same S&M series along with exquisite still-lives, studio portraits, and lesser known works that are equally as poignant, all of them exploring the themes of good and bad. Made up of 54 works paired together––like a photograph of a man in a rubber suit and harness alongside one of a woman's heel-clad foot––the exhibition allows the viewer to come to their own conclusions about Mappelthorpe's oeuvre: Is the woman in heels a more socially accepted form of bondage when considering the two experiences? Another striking duo is Mapplethorpe’s self-portrait in drag next to his portrait of the singer and actress Amanda Lear. Side by side, they seem to complicate portrayals of female sexuality. Other highlights include an iconic photograph of a starry-eyed PATTI SMITH curled up naked by a wall heater, a confident LOUISE BOURGEOIS cradling one of her phallic sculptures, and a picture of a scorpion resting on bodybuilder Lisa Lyon’s lady part (an image that was printed onto the CHLOË SEVIGNY FOR OC SS11 COLLECTION).
A true pioneer of photography, Mapplethorpe spearheaded a dialogued about gender, sexuality, and freedom of expression that continues to excite and raise questions decades after his passing. Even in his grittiest depictions of fetishistic practices, one can’t help but marvel at the remarkable technique and form of his works. See the show before it closes on January 25th, 2014.
SEAN KELLY GALLERY
475 10th Avenue
New York, NY 10018
Map![]()
Christopher Holly, 1980. ©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission. Courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York![]()
Bruce Mailman, 1981. ©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission. Courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York ![]()
Alice Neel,1984. ©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission. Courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York![]()
Javier,1985. ©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission. Courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York![]()
Colin Streeter,1978. ©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission. Courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York![]()
The new show includes pieces from that same S&M series along with exquisite still-lives, studio portraits, and lesser known works that are equally as poignant, all of them exploring the themes of good and bad. Made up of 54 works paired together––like a photograph of a man in a rubber suit and harness alongside one of a woman's heel-clad foot––the exhibition allows the viewer to come to their own conclusions about Mappelthorpe's oeuvre: Is the woman in heels a more socially accepted form of bondage when considering the two experiences? Another striking duo is Mapplethorpe’s self-portrait in drag next to his portrait of the singer and actress Amanda Lear. Side by side, they seem to complicate portrayals of female sexuality. Other highlights include an iconic photograph of a starry-eyed PATTI SMITH curled up naked by a wall heater, a confident LOUISE BOURGEOIS cradling one of her phallic sculptures, and a picture of a scorpion resting on bodybuilder Lisa Lyon’s lady part (an image that was printed onto the CHLOË SEVIGNY FOR OC SS11 COLLECTION).
A true pioneer of photography, Mapplethorpe spearheaded a dialogued about gender, sexuality, and freedom of expression that continues to excite and raise questions decades after his passing. Even in his grittiest depictions of fetishistic practices, one can’t help but marvel at the remarkable technique and form of his works. See the show before it closes on January 25th, 2014.
SEAN KELLY GALLERY
475 10th Avenue
New York, NY 10018
Map
Christopher Holly, 1980. ©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission. Courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York
Bruce Mailman, 1981. ©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission. Courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York 
Alice Neel,1984. ©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission. Courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York
Javier,1985. ©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission. Courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York
Colin Streeter,1978. ©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission. Courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York
