Mercredi 18 Mars 2015 10:55:16 par Paulina Gautier-mons dans Expositions

Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma in Helsinki reopens its doors with a solo exhibition by Robert Mapplethorpe, one of the most prominent photographers of the 20th century. The retrospective is the most comprehensive and broad presentation of the artist's work and career ever to have appeared in Finland. At the same time, we will open two exhibitions from the Collections: Face to Face – Portrait Now and Elements.

The American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe (1946–1989) lived a life of passion in the New York underground and art scenes in the 1970s and '80s. That passion also made its way into his art. In their aspiration for perfection, Mapplethorpe's pictures blend beauty and eroticism with pain, pleasure and death. Mapplethorpe also photographed his celebrity friends such as Patti Smith, Andy Warhol and Richard Gere. Although solidly anchored in their time, his photographs are also universal and topical even today.

Consisting of more than 250 works, the retrospective offers a broad overview of the key periods of Mapplethorpe's career, from early Polaroids to the 1980s portraits. Thematically, the show ranges from sculptural nudes to portraits and self-portraits, from still lifes to erotic subjects. Arriving from Paris to Helsinki, the high-profile exhibition is a unique opportunity to learn about the art and life of one of the most important photographic artists of our time.

The Kiasma exhibition was curated by Jérôme Neutres from the Grand Palais, Paris with Director Pirkko Siitari and Chief Curator Marja Sakari from Kiasma and it is open till 13 September. This exhibition is organized by The Finnish National Gallery – Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma and the Réunion des Musées Nationaux – Grand Palais, with the collaboration of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation New York.