Robert Mapplethorpe The Perfect Medium

Exhibition 20 March — 31 July 2016

5905 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036 (map)

Robert Mapplethorpe, Poppy, 1988, dye imbibition print, jointly acquired by the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, partial gift of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation; partial purchase with funds provided by the J. Paul Getty Trust and the David Geffen Foundation, © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation

Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Medium

Phillips is honored to support LACMA's landmark exhibition Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Medium. This sponsorship forms one part of our global program of arts partnerships in 2016, affirming our commitment to supporting and engaging with the world's preeminent museums and public galleries.

Robert Mapplethorpe's practice as an artist was characterized by inherent dualities. He sought what he called "perfection in form" in everything from acts of sexual fetishism to the elegant contours of flower petals. This exhibition explores Mapplethorpe's body of work through early drawings, collages, sculptures, and Polaroid photography; materials from his archive; portraits, still lifes, and figure studies; rare color photographs; and two seldom-seen moving image works. A companion exhibition will be presented simultaneously at the J. Paul Getty Museum, exploring Mapplethorpe's disciplined studio practice and his fascination with classical form and the fine photographic print

The exhibition at LACMA highlights the artist's relationship to New York's sexual and artistic undergrounds, as well as his experimentation with a variety of media. Additionally, the exhibition will be accompanied by Physical: Sex and the Body in the 1980s, a focused installation of work by other artists drawn from LACMA's permanent collection that helps place Mapplethorpe in conversation with the art of the 1980s.

Visit LACMA to learn more. #MapplethorpeLA

This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Highlights from the Exhibition

Robert Mapplethorpe, Parrot Tulips, 1988, dye imbibition print, jointly acquired by the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, partial gift of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation; partial purchase with funds provided by the J. Paul Getty Trust and the David Geffen Foundation, © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation

Robert Mapplethorpe, Melody Danielson, 1987, 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, Joe, N.Y.C., 1978, gelatin silver print, jointly acquired by the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, partial gift of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation; partial purchase with funds provided by the J. Paul Getty Trust and the David Geffen Foundation, © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation

Robert Mapplethorpe, Nick, 1977, 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, Two Men Dancing, 1984, 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, Keso Dekker, 1979, 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, Larry and Bobby Kissing, 1979, 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, Untitled (Nancy Nortia/Dugan), c. 1974, diffusion transfer print, 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, Self-Portrait, 1980, 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, Lisa Lyon, 1982, 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, Brian Ridley and Lyle Heeter, 1979, promised gift of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation to the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation

Mapplethorpe's Perfect Moment: A Conversation with Britt Salvesen

Britt Salvesen, curator of the Wallis Annenberg Photography Department and the Print and Drawings Department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, spoke to us about Mapplethorpe's photographic process, his relationship to his subjects and love of "the perfect moment."

One Artist, Two Museums, Many Interpretations

This month, Robert Mapplethorpe will take over Los Angeles, with a major two-part retrospective on view at LACMA and the J. Paul Getty Museum. Curator of the LACMA exhibition Britt Salvesen gives us a preview of the highly anticipated exhibition.