Kitten, 1983
Sofia Coppola, curatrice pour une expo Robert Mapplethorpe à la galerie Thaddaeus Ropac.
Inauguration ce soir.
Et c’est jusqu’au 7 janvier, must see absolu.
Un profil moins connu du photographe : orchidées, vagues, des portraits de Marisa Berenson ou Paloma Picasso.
Texas Gallery, 1980
Waves, 1980
Marissa Berenson, 1983
Orchid, 1982
Et une approche en hommage à deux précédentes expo (Robert Mapplethorpe: Eye to Eye, par Cindy Sherman, NY, 2003) et Robert Mapplethorpe Curated by David Hockney (Londres, 2005) qui éclaire aussi bien l’œuvre du photographe que celle du curateur. Une sélection graphique, épurée, intimiste, des choix effectués à partir des archives de la Fondation Mapplethorpe. 39 photographies, une seule en couleur.
Annabelle's mother, 1978
Extrait du dossier de presse : "Celebrated American director Sofia Coppola selected the images from The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation in New York—with whom the gallery has collaborated for this exhibition. By using rarely seen and little-known images taken by Mapplethorpe, Coppola has created an installation very much in step with her world. Always inspired by images, the director uses photographs to orient the visual concept of her films. She draws inspiration from images pulled from magazines, taken by iconic photographers, and even snapped with her own camera. Whether done consciously or not, from a single glimpse of the photographic ensemble, the viewer could easily imagine the photos to be a mood board for a future film. However, there is no “narrative” that weaves the selection of images together: the viewer has the freedom to invent fictional characters within the nuances of gray.
Sofia Coppola extracted gentle images from Robert Mapplethorpe’s archive: contemplative moments from which a delicate tension emerges. Known for his erotic and provocative images and the metaphysical nature he often imbues his subject matters with, the viewer is able to discover a nearly-unexplored side of the artist. Mapplethorpe’s portraits of children are taken with an intense gaze: Honey (1976), Andes (1979). He photographs animals languidly sprawled out: Muffin (1981), Kitten (1983). His portraits of charismatic women seize the intimacy of introspective moments: Annabelle’s Mother (1978), Paloma Picasso (1980). Mapplethorpe is also famous for his still life photographs of flowers. All of these stock-still people and things, replete with grace and candour, are presented through the gaze of a creative woman: Coppola’s innate sense of beauty is something she has in common with Robert Mapplethorpe. She knows how to emphasize, in the silence of suspended moments, the tenderness and emotion present in the artist’s work.
Sofia Coppola’s selection includes four loans from prestigious museums: Katherine Cebrian (1980) and Waves (1980) are part of the permanent collection of London’s Tate Modern, Melia Marden (1983) is part of the Guggenheim collection and Fireplace with Flowers (1986) belongs to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts."
Lisa Lyon, 1982
Robert Mapplethorpe curated by Sofia Coppola, du 25 novembre au 7 janvier 2012, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, 7, rue Debelleyme, 75003 Paris, www.ropac.net
Lisa Lyon, 1982
