Robert Mapplethorpe
Le forme del classivo / The Forms of Classicism
Le Stanze della Fotografia, Venezia
The Rooms of Photography, Venice
Through 6 January 2026
Self Portrait, 1975
Photo © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission
The Sluggard, 1978
Photo © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission
Derrick Cross, 1983
Photo © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission
Dennis Speight, 1983
Photo © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission
Le Stanze della Fotografia / The Rooms of Photography in Venice hosts a major exhibition dedicated to one of the most influential – and still, in many ways, provocative – figures in international photography: ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE (New York, 1946 – Boston, 1989). Curated by Denis Curti, Artistic Director of Le Stanze della Fotografia, Robert Mapplethorpe. Le forme del classivo is organised and promoted by Marsilio Arte and the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, in collaboration with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation.
This retrospective marks the first chapter in a broader trilogy dedicated to the study and exploration of Mapplethorpe’s work. Two further exhibitions will follow in 2026. Robert Mapplethorpe. Le forme del desiderio [The forms of desire], to be held at Palazzo Reale in Milan, will present a comprehensive retrospective of the artist’s most iconic, powerful, and daring images, focusing on the most intense aspects of his practice. Robert Mapplethorpe. Le forme della bellezza [The forms of beauty] will be shown at the Museo dell’Ara Pacis in Rome and will centre on Mapplethorpe’s reflections on beauty as classical ideal, featuring direct comparisons and a special section devoted to a number of significant photographs taken in Italy, now exhibited for the first time.
To accompany the trilogy, a single major catalogue will be published by Marsilio Arte, gathering all three exhibitions into one comprehensive volume. Featuring 257 works, it will offer a sweeping look at Mapplethorpe’s entire output and the evolution of his visual language.
«The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation is delighted to collaborate with Marsilio Arte, Denis Curti, and his colleagues on these upcoming exhibitions devoted to Mapplethorpe, which will be beautifully presented in three outstanding venues and institutions. Denis Curti’s thoughtful curatorial approach will offer visitors a unique experience, tailoring each show to its location and highlighting different facets of Mapplethorpe’s art. While the exhibitions will share certain themes, each will adopt a distinct perspective on his work. Venice has not hosted a major Mapplethorpe retrospective since 1992, when Germano Celant’s iconic international show was presented at Palazzo Fortuny. We eagerly anticipate Mapplethorpe’s return to Venice after 33 years, as well as the exhibitions planned for Rome and Milan», said Michael Ward Stout, President of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation.
Patti Smith, 1986
Photo © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission
Isabella Rossellini, 1988
Photo © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission
“Flowers” Purple Callas, 1987
Photo © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission
Featuring over 200 photographs, some of which are on view in Italy for the first time, Robert Mapplethorpe. The Forms of Classicism at Le Stanze della Fotografia pays tribute to the great American artist and picks up the thread laid out by curator Germano Celant in his 2005 exhibition Between Ancient and Modern. An Anthology (Turin), placing Mapplethorpe’s work back into the wider context of mid-20th century American art and culture. It is this classical dimension of Mapplethorpe’s photography – particularly emphasised in Venice through direct comparisons with images of ancient statuary – that renders his portraits so striking. These bodies, captured in their sculptural beauty and form, appear timeless: age-old yet contemporary expressions of desire, shaped by the geometry of light and transfigured into eternal, almost divine icons that remain deeply, unmistakably human.
The exhibition draws attention to Mapplethorpe’s pursuit of a perfect curvature, a sensual, almost sacred roundness, evident in the depictions of both male and female bodies, as well as in his magnificent photographs of flowers. These are laid bare in all their delicacy, forming poetic, ambiguous compositions. As curator Denis Curti notes, «Mapplethorpe uses photography to reinterpret and renew classical aesthetics, heightening the dialogue between the living body and ideal sculpture. The comparison reveals his ability to transpose the grace and perfection of classical form into contemporary photography, through meticulous attention to detail and light. Statues, governed by an incomplete sexuality, remind us of the importance of flesh in the language of seduction. Mapplethorpe dissolves their marble limbs, allowing a sensual beauty to emerge from beneath layers of rigidity, breathing new life into them».
The exhibition opens with Mapplethorpe’s earliest collages and ready-mades from the late 1960s, many of which have never been shown before. Created using original drawings, cuttings from homoerotic magazines and objets trouvés, these early pieces reflect his search for identity and his fascination with experimentation from the outset of his career, layering disparate elements into bold visual statements.
Le Stanze della Fotografia, Venice
Exhibition View. Photograph by Matteo de Fina
Le Stanze della Fotografia, Venice
Exhibition View. Photograph by Matteo de Fina
Le Stanze della Fotografia, Venice
Exhibition View. Photograph by Matteo de Fina
These are followed by portraits of his companion, friend, and muse Patti Smith, captured in intimate, iconic poses that convey both her androgyny and vulnerability; and by images of bodybuilder Lisa Lyon, which explore strength, endurance and femininity while transcending conventional notions of gender. Mapplethorpe depicts her sculpted body with classical precision, celebrating power and beauty through an aesthetic grounded in antiquity.
Unsettling self-portraits reveal his ongoing exploration of identity as something fluid and mutable. Through carefully constructed poses and provocative symbolism, Mapplethorpe presents himself both as artist and subject, examining the boundaries between the private self and public persona.
Le Stanze della Fotografia, Venice
Exhibition View. Photograph by Matteo de Fina
Le Stanze della Fotografia, Venice
Exhibition View. Photograph by Matteo de Fina
Le Stanze della Fotografia, Venice
Exhibition View. Photograph by Matteo de Fina
Throughout the exhibition, male nudes take centre stage as odes to classical perfection, emphasising strength, sensuality and symmetry through refined lighting and composition. These works navigate desire and eroticism while openly challenging traditional social norms. Similarly, the female nudes on display in Venice reveal Mapplethorpe’s elegant, minimalist approach: a play of curves, folds and lines that evokes what art historian Arthur C. Danto described as «self-aware women with an almost regal power».
Also on view are portraits of figures such as Truman Capote, Glenn Close, Richard Gere, Keith Haring, David Hockney, Annie Leibovitz, Yoko Ono, Robert Rauschenberg, Isabella Rossellini, Susan Sarandon, Susan Sontag, Andy Warhol and many others. For Robert Mapplethorpe, portraiture was never simply an intimate encounter between two individuals, but rather a kind of visual altar, where the subject’s physical presence becomes transfigured, enmeshed in a subtle game of desire and possession.
Le Stanze della Fotografia, Venice
Exhibition View. Photograph by Matteo de Fina
Among the most iconic works in the exhibition are his photos of flowers – calla lilies, orchids, and tulips – captured at the precise moment they seem to become taut with energy, transformed into pulsing muscle. These works strike a delicate balance between stately reverence, achieved through subtle monochrome tones, and the vibrant dynamism of colour. Throughout, ancient statuary provides a powerful point of comparison: defined by an unresolved sexuality, these classical forms underscore the centrality of flesh in Mapplethorpe’s seductive visual language.
Thanks to the Mapplethorpe Foundation, exceptional vintage ephemera are on display. The archival items include two original Patti Smith audio cassettes, a 45 rpm record, gallery and museum exhibition invitations, posters, a limited edition, signed, and leather-bound copy of Rimbaud's A Season in Hell, illustrated with Mapplethorpe gravures, magazines, handwritten letters from Mapplethorpe to his mentor and lover Sam Wagstaff, and the memorial card from Wagstaff's funeral.
Also on view in the exhibition are two short films directed by Robert Mapplethorpe: Still Moving: Patti Smith from 1978 and Lady with Lisa Lyon from 1984.
LE STRANZE DELLA FOTOGRAFIA
Venice, Island of San Giorgio Maggiore
Robert Mapplethorpe. Le forme del classico, 10 April 2025 – 6 January 2026
Le Stanze della Fotografia, Venice, Island of San Giorgio Maggiore
