Mapplethorpe: Brussels
Past exhibition
Overview
The work of Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989) possesses many aspects. For the general public, the photographer is often associated with scandal and censorship (the organizers of his retrospective at le Grand Palais collected the “most disturbing” images in a room with access denied to minors). It is nevertheless only an anecdotal aspect about his work.
We find in the selection made by Charles Riva the inescapable figure of Patti Smith, who was the muse and the accomplice of Mapplethorpe. The cliché is prominent here of the androgynous singer illustrating the cover of her first album Horses, as well as a more intimate photography, where the indirect reference to the record - two images of horses stuck on the wall - is highly visible.
The Charles Riva collection also exhibits Lisa Lyon, who posed for Mapplethorpe many times. A dedicated body-builder, she succeeded in making her own body a synthesis of masculine / feminine which could only seduce the photographer. Lyon was briefly married to Bernard Lavilliers and inspired him to write the song Night Bird. Lyon was trained by Arnold Schwarzenegger, but contrary to the photo where he poses for Mapplethorpe, she rarely adopts the stereotypical poses of body-builders. She is photographed in her sports gear, while sitting on a tiled floor which evokes a changing room, or dressed in outfits inspired by sadomasochistic practices.
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