Robert Mapplethorpe: Certain Flowers
Robert Mapplethorpe, Parrot Tulips, 1988, gelatin silver print, 40 x 40 in.By Judith Salkin
Robert Mapplethorpe is often associated with the sexually-charged images featured in his controversial exhibit, “The Perfect Moment,” nearly 20 years ago. The photographer, who died in 1989 at age 42, is best known for the frank eroticism of his middle period, which sparked debate about the public funding of art. But much of Mapplethorpe's photography was extraordinarily ordinary — portraits, mostly for magazines, and landscapes. Both are celebrated in two separate but complimentary exhibits in Palm Springs. “Robert Mapplethorpe: Certain Photographs,” at the Maloney Fine Art @ The Galleria is a collection of still lifes with a few portraits. A reception is slated for 6 p.m. tonight, while the exhibition runs through Feb. 28. Mapplethorpe's flower still lifes are awe-inspiring for the artist's use of shadow and light. In one such image, a single stalk of hyacinth is the centerpiece as bands of light seem to wrap around the walls and vase, while the flowers bend toward the light. “Mapplethorpe liked to sleep in,” noted gallery owner Michael Maloney. “His assistants would bring in fresh flowers every day. He'd shoot (the flowers) as a way to get ready for whatever he was shooting that day.” Over at the Palm Springs Art Museum, “Robert Mapplethorpe: Portraits” is on display featuring 120 photos through mid-April. The museum recently started the Photography Collection Council, which is sponsoring this weekend's photography symposium with Mapplethorpe's work at the center of discussion. “He liked to make his subjects a little uncomfortable,” said Bob Bogard, director of marketing communications for the Museum. While the portrait might end up being the subject's back, hands across a face or a floating head in a sea of black, “that was the way he thought represented them best.”
Robert Mapplethorpe
Certain Flowers
- Saturday, February 28, 2009
Opening Reception: February 6, 2009, 6-8pm
Maloney Fine Art @ The Galleria
457 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs CA
Robert Mapplethorpe is often associated with the sexually-charged images featured in his controversial exhibit, “The Perfect Moment,” nearly 20 years ago. The photographer, who died in 1989 at age 42, is best known for the frank eroticism of his middle period, which sparked debate about the public funding of art. But much of Mapplethorpe's photography was extraordinarily ordinary — portraits, mostly for magazines, and landscapes. Both are celebrated in two separate but complimentary exhibits in Palm Springs. “Robert Mapplethorpe: Certain Photographs,” at the Maloney Fine Art @ The Galleria is a collection of still lifes with a few portraits. A reception is slated for 6 p.m. tonight, while the exhibition runs through Feb. 28. Mapplethorpe's flower still lifes are awe-inspiring for the artist's use of shadow and light. In one such image, a single stalk of hyacinth is the centerpiece as bands of light seem to wrap around the walls and vase, while the flowers bend toward the light. “Mapplethorpe liked to sleep in,” noted gallery owner Michael Maloney. “His assistants would bring in fresh flowers every day. He'd shoot (the flowers) as a way to get ready for whatever he was shooting that day.” Over at the Palm Springs Art Museum, “Robert Mapplethorpe: Portraits” is on display featuring 120 photos through mid-April. The museum recently started the Photography Collection Council, which is sponsoring this weekend's photography symposium with Mapplethorpe's work at the center of discussion. “He liked to make his subjects a little uncomfortable,” said Bob Bogard, director of marketing communications for the Museum. While the portrait might end up being the subject's back, hands across a face or a floating head in a sea of black, “that was the way he thought represented them best.”
Robert Mapplethorpe
Certain Flowers
- Saturday, February 28, 2009
Opening Reception: February 6, 2009, 6-8pm
457 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs CA
posted by Photography Collection at
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