Robert Mapplethorpe (New York, 1946–1989) was one of the most prominent contemporary photographers in the late twentieth century. He used his Hasselblad not just to photograph subjects, but also to create space via the lens, imbuing each shot with an atmosphere of pure classicism, a geometric vision, and a never-ending pursuit of perfection. Denis Curti’s exhibition “The Forms of Beauty”, at the Ara Pacis Museum in Rome, comprises over 200 pictures that take visitors on a journey examining the concept of beauty according to one of the masters of twentieth-century photography. The exhibition allots a significant amount of space to the theme of the male and female nude, drawing comparisons to ancient statuary. Two first-century AD sculptures from the Capitoline Museums, the Statue of Aphrodite and the Statue of an Athlete, are also on display. One section is dedicated to Mapplethorpe’s “muses”: Patti Smith, his companion and confidante, and Lisa Lyon, a bodybuilder and model who played important roles in his life and visual images. Among the best-known portraits on display are also those of David Byrne, Richard Gere, Yoko Ono, and Robert Rauschenberg.
News Source: 9Colonne
