Last week the Guggenheim Museum in NY unveiled the second part of their major retrospective of the legendary queer artist Robert ‘Mapplethorpe called Implicit Tensions
Whereas the first part of the Exhibit, which recently closed, ,featured highlights from the Guggenheim’s in-depth Mapplethorpe holdings which the Mapplethorpe Foundation gifted them in 1993 They included early Polaroids, collages, and mixed-media constructions; iconic, classicizing photographs of male and female nudes; floral still lifes; portraits of artists, celebrities, and acquaintances; explicit depictions of New York’s underground S&M scene; and searingly honest self-portraits.
So the second part of Implicit Tensions (which runs until January 2020) addresses Mapplethorpe’s complex legacy in the field of contemporary art. A focused selection of his photographs is on view alongside works by artists in the Guggenheim’s collection, including Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Lyle Ashton Harris, Glenn Ligon, Zanele Muholi, Catherine Opie, and Paul Mpagi Sepuya.
This exhibition is organized by Lauren Hinkson, Associate Curator, Collections, and Susan Thompson, Associate Curator, with Levi Prombaum, Curatorial Assistant, Collections.
