Robert Mapplethorpe Pictures

‘Pictures’ brings together an extensive selection of works from throughout Robert Mapplethorpe’s career. Responsible for some of the most arresting, polemical, and iconic images in contemporary photography, Mapplethorpe turned the photograph into a controlled performance between artist and subject in his quest to engage with sexuality, gender, race, and queer and non-heteronormative bodies. He treated his subjects with equal attention and precision, from cut flowers and male sex organs, to the cast of friends, lovers, and celebrities he depicted. This catalogue is published on the occasion of the eponymous exhibition at the Serralves Foundation.