On Wednesday, May 30th, 2018, PIASA will present an important French collection of photography, showcasing 47 remarkable pieces. A notable masterpiece of the ensemble is a series of four portraits by Robert Mapplethorpe.
Born in 1946, photographer, poet, and musician Robert Mapplethorpe executed his first studio photos in the 1980s. A formalist on a quest for the ideal, according to British author Bruce Chantin, Mapplethorpe expresses himself through photographs of flower still-lives, portraits of celebrities taken in his studio, or nudes - either male or female - in perfect compositions. “I look for the perfection of form. I do this in portraits, in photographs of penises, in photographs of flowers”, he explains. When he focuses on the human figure, the sitters are black, dancers or body-builders. All are muscular and sculptural, with lines driven by geometry and symmetry, reminiscent of Ancient Greece sculptures.
Lot 36 - *Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989)
I-Ajitto, 1981
Estimation : 90 000 - 120 000 €
Kept by the MoMA and the Guggenheim in New-York, the portrait of Ajitto presented during the sale is representative of his work. One of the photographer’s famous sitters, Ajitto is depicted in the same position in four different angles. This nude in four pieces conveys this search for perfection, in the body, the lines, the muscles stretching. In these photographs, « the lens revolves around the model’s body with a clinical precision. Because the model bows his head, his body is thrust forward to the center of the composition in pictures that aim to to be figure studies rather than portraits ». The semi-foetal position evokes a similar one chosen by baron Withelm von Golden, around 1900, for a young ephebe posing in a rocky landscape - a picture Mapplethorpe knows well, as he owns a print of it. This pose is also directly inspired by an Hippolyte Flandrin painting from 1836, « Nude young man posing on the seaside » (Paris, Louvre Museum).
Moreover, Mapplethorpe was fascinated by sculpture, and photographed several classical sculptures in the years preceding his death, considering photography a medium turning sculpture two-dimensional. Thus, very much inspired by this art form, the portraits of Ajitto are reminiscent of Rodin’s work. « Photography is a quick way to look at, to create a sculpture » Mapplethorpe explained. The Mapplethorpe / Rodin exhibit in the Rodin Museum in Paris in 2014 testifies to the strong link the artist created between the two media.
Each of these prints have been the center of extensive research from the collector who brought them together in order to compose this ideal polyptych of the male body. The lot is estimated between 90.000 and 120.000 euros.
