Robert Mapplethorpe Self-Portrait, 1980 Gelatin silver print, flush-mounted on board Image 35,6 x 35,6 cm (14 x 14 in) Sheet 50,8 x 40,6 cm (20 x 16 in) Framed 75 x 74 x 3 cm (29,53 x 29,52 x 1,182 in) (RMP 1632.7) MAP 434

Written by Trip Avis

American artist Robert Mapplethorpe is saddled with a two-pronged legacy as both icon and iconoclast: his photographic work, almost exclusively rendered in striking black-and-white and imbued with grace and poise but brimming with unabashed homoeroticism, intimacy, and personality, challenged contemporary notions of portrait photography. For this reason, Edward Enninful, the esteemed editor, found a kindred spirit in Mapplethorpe: “[he] wanted to disrupt the idea of what a portrait is. And I’ve always wanted to disrupt the idea of what fashion is – what people consider as beautiful or not has always been fascinating to me.” A seasoned editor curating a retrospective of works by a pop culture icon is an inspired idea. As Vogue’s Global Creative and Cultural Advisor and the former editor-in-chief of British Vogue, Enninful is undoubtedly the right man for the job. Pulling from Mapplethorpe’s extensive archive, Edward Enninful explores his relationship with the artist’s oeuvre; he raises fresh dialogues between the photographs that perhaps only an editor of his caliber would pinpoint. His careful curation also welcomes viewers to form perspectives on the message behind the paired images.

Mapplethorpe is particularly notable for his frank exploration and critique of gender roles, gender identity, and stereotypes—something more common in our present day but bold, brave, and unconventional in American culture on the brink of the AIDS epidemic. Among the photographic pairings that seem to highlight this dialogue are the portraits of actor Richard Gere and musician, poet, and Mapplethorpe muse Patti Smith. Gere, with his chiseled movie-star good looks, smugly-pursed lips, and muscle-flexing pose, suggests the beefcake bravado of gay men’s magazines in their heyday. In added camp, he even sports a broken heart tattoo dripping blood on his left pectoral muscle. Gere’s portrayal of machismo and traditionally sought-after masculine traits juxtapose—and, in some ways, highlight—Patti Smith’s androgynous self-expression. While Gere seems to be putting on airs for Mapplethorpe’s camera, Smith gazes forward with a self-assured ambivalence, suit jacket tossed casually over her shoulder. Her comfortable adoption of a masculine self-presentation is unforced and effortless.

Robert Mapplethorpe Embrace, 1982 Silver gelatin print 50,8 x 40,6 cm (20 x 16 in) (RMP 1258.8) MAP 866

Other Enninful pairings mystify, requiring greater reflection to decipher and distinguish their connections. While the others possess parallel compositions or distinct subject matter that draw conversation, the pairing of Mapplethorpe’s portrait of writer Norman Mailer with a nude photograph of Patti Smith is alluringly obscure. Mailer is shot against an ink-black background and dressed in a crisp white dress shirt, pinstripe jacket, and tie. He bears an austere, writerly expression that commands seriousness and respect. In blatant disregard of Mailer’s staid, polished demeanor, Patti Smith sits naked and curled up on varnished wood flooring, gripping metal piping before her. The only thing that alludes to the Mailer portrait is the no-nonsense expression on her face. She stares down the camera lens with no qualms, showing us that she can be just as severe and commanding with only her birthday suit.

Robert Mapplethorpe Ken Moody and Robert Sherman, 1984 Silver gelatin print 38.4 x 38.4 cm (15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in) (RMP 2308.4) MAP 1353

Robert Mapplethorpe, curated by Edward Enninful, is a brief, collaborative marriage, an aesthetic alignment and understanding, between two creative giants of their respective eras. Enninful breathes new life and perspective into Mapplethorpe’s storied portraits, opening the door for fresh interpretation. It is an artist honoring an artist in its purest form.

Thaddaeus Ropac Paris Marais displays Robert Mapplethorpe, curated by Edward Enninful between March 2 and April 6, 2024.