Robert Mapplethorpe at the NRW-Forum

In February you can see a major retrospective of Robert Mapplethorpe’s photographs at the NRW-Forum in Düsseldorf. Mapplethorpe dominated photography in the late twentieth century and paved the way for the recognition of photography as an art form in its own right; he firmly anchored the subject of homosexuality in mass culture and created a classic photographic image, mostly of male bodies, which found its way into commercial photography. Both during his life and since his death (in 1989), Mapplethorpe’s work has been the subject of much controversial debate. His radical portrayals of nudity and sexual acts were always controversial; his photos of sadomasochistic practices in particular caused a stir and frequently resulted in protests outside exhibitions.  The curator of the NRW-Forum exhibition, Werner Lippert, is quick to point out that ‘this exhibition needs no justification. Mapplethorpe was quite simply and unquestionably one of the most important photographers of the twentieth century. It is an artistic necessity.’ The exhibitions' selection of over 150 photographs covers early Polaroids from 1973 to his final self-portraits from the year 1988, and also includes both many well-known, almost iconic images as well as some never-before seen or rarely shown works.

Robert Mapplethorpe 06 Feb–15 Aug
NRW-Forum, Ehrenhof 2, 40479 Düsseldorf
www.nrw-forum.de
 
Engish speakers in Düsseldorf:
Rhinebuzz will be hosting a regular "Stammtisch" for the international community at the NRW Forum, every Friday night in the bar from 8pm until midnight. The museum generously offers discounted entry to the exhibit, €3.80 after 6pm on a Friday, and a free tour in English at 9pm.
Find out more here: www.RhineBuzz.com