ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE AND THE CLASSICAL TRADITION AT THE GUGGENHEIM JULY 1

[Poemsl1]

xxo-  Seena




ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE AND THE  CLASSICAL TRADITION OPENS AT THE GUGGENHEIM JULY
1

Exhibition  Explores the Dialogue between Mapplethorpe's Photography and
16th-Century  Flemish Mannerism

Exhibition title: Robert Mapplethorpe and  the Classical Tradition:
Photographs and Mannerist  Prints
Exhibition dates: July 1bAugust 24, 2005
Press preview:  Thursday, June 30, 10 AMbNOON

(NEW YORK, NYbApril 25, 2005) From  July 1 through August 24, the Solomon R.
Guggenheim Museum presents  Robert Mapplethorpe and the Classical Tradition:
Photographs and  Mannerist Prints. This exhibition will explore the
relationship  between the photography of Robert Mapplethorpe and classical
art, in
particular through 16th century Flemish Mannerist engravings. Among the  first
collaborations between the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York,  and the
State
Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, the project is  co-organized by Germano
Celant, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the  Guggenheim, and Arkady
Ippolitov, Curator of Italian Prints at the  Hermitage. The exhibition
premiered at
the Deutsche Guggenheim in Berlin  from July 24 to October 17, 2004,
subsequently traveling to the Hermitage  and then the Moscow House of
Photography before
its final venue at the  Guggenheim in 2005. The exhibition will remain on view
through August 24,  2005.

An international movement and style that spread to France and  Northern
Europe, Mannerism developed in the 16th century with roots in  Italian art,
specifically that of Raphael. Referred to as bthe stylish  style,b it is
characterized by compositional, emotional, and narrative  elements that shift
away from
the median of harmony and equilibrium  embodied by the art of the High
Renaissance. An exceptional selection of  Mannerist works from the Hermitage
collection will be paired with superb  photographs by Mapplethorpe from the
collections
of the Guggenheim and the  Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. A small selection
of sculptures will also  be on view, illustrating Mapplethorpe's interest in
and passion for the  human figure. The exhibition will exemplify
Mapplethorpe's
rapport with  the elongated and elaborate forms of Mannerist art, namely the
study of  the human body, highlighting the underlying classicism evident in
the  clarity and potency of all Mapplethorpe's subjects as well as their
explosive energy. The classical ideal was not only a poetic inspiration  but
also an
ethical model, and in his creative quest Mapplethorpe  described photography
as bthe perfect way to make a sculpture.b The  potency of love and Eros,
which electrifies many of the Mannerist works in  the exhibition, is
articulated
again in the work of Mapplethorpe. The  vital anatomical forms of his
portraits
of models, such as bodybuilder  Lisa Lyons and the statuesque Derrick Cross,
find their roots in  antiquity, and in this exhibition find their mirror in
such Mannerist  prints as Jan Harmensz Muller's Rape of a Sabine Woman and
Jacob
 Matham's Apollo.

An illustrated catalogue with essays by the  curators accompanies the
exhibition. Ippolitov is the author of numerous  articles on the relationship
between
European old masters and Russian art;  Celant has published extensively on
Mapplethorpe and the rich art  historical past referenced in the
photographer's
work. Ippolitov discusses  the obsession that defines both the work of
Mapplethorpe and the  Mannerists. Mythological and allegorical themes are
explored as
well as an  examination of the pursuit of the ideal and its ultimate
expression:  death. Celant's text further explores the influence of art
historical
styles on Mapplethorpe's artistic practice and sensibility, illuminating  the
artist's interest in the study of pure form as well as allegorical  imagery.
Through both word and image, the catalogue also traces  Mapplethorpe's complex
relationship to the history of art more broadly,  ranging from neoclassicism
to
Surrealism, with comparisons to the work of  Jacques-Louis David, Antonio
Canova, Auguste Rodin, Man Ray, and others.  In this light, an additional
essay,
by Guggenheim Project Curator Jennifer  Blessing, traces allegorical
representations in the history of 19th- and  20th-century photography, with
references
to Mapplethorpe's oeuvre.  Blessing discusses examples of highly stylized,
theatrical, and  antinaturalistic scenes and portraits, suggesting that these
mannered  images are determined by the clash between the idealistic intent of
their  makers and the realism of photographic representation.

INFORMATION:  212-423-3500
HOURS: Sat.bWed., 10 AMb5:45 PM; Fri. 10 AMb8 PM; closed  Thurs.
ADMISSION: $15 adults, $10 students/seniors. Children under 12  free. Fridays
from 6 to 8 PM, pay what you wish.


FOR  INFORMATION:
Betsy Ennis, Guggenheim Public Affairs, (212)  423-3840
_publicaffairs_ (mailto:publicaffairs)