|
ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE |
|
FOREWORD IT IS PERSONALLY Very rewarding to be the Director of the Whitney Museum of American Art at the time we present the work of Robert Mapplethorpe, an artist whose photographic work began to receive attention in the late 1970s and who is now internationally acclaimed as one of the most astonishing talents to enliven the art of the past decade. Although the Whitney Museum of American Art does not actively collect and exhibit photography, the work of certain photographers is so insightful, so allied to the rhythms of our times, that it is essential to incorporate their art into the Museum's programs without regard to medium. Robert Mapplethorpe is one of those artists who has produced images that have become identified with the mores, sexual politics, aesthetics, and personalities of our lives. He has challenged the definition of photography by introducing new techniques and formats into the medium. He has made a recognized contribution to our visual culture and has proposed new solutions to the riddle of understanding ourselves. We celebrate him and are pleased to be the first American museum to present a comprehensive overview of his work. In the film made during the historic auction of the Scull collection in New York in 1973, there is a scene in which the late Sam Wagstaff introduces Robert Mapplethorpe to Robert Scull and advises the collector that he should know Mapplethorpe's work because it is going to become famous. This was one of many prophetic declarations by Sam Wagstaff, a connoisseur of the avant-garde, who was not fully acknowledged during his life for his extraordinary vision and recognition of young artists. It is a personal sorrow not to be able to share this moment with Sam, as we confirm the confidence he expressed so surely and correctly in Mapplethorpe's art. The rewards of our efforts as museum professionals are richest when we have the opportunity to work closely with a talented artist. It has been a distinct pleasure to share this endeavor with Robert, who has given himself generously to the project and greatly assisted Richard Marshall, Associate Curator, Exhibitions, to prepare and present his best work. For the catalogue, Richard Howard and Ingrid Sischy have contributed penetrating interpretations of Mapplethorpe's achievement -- in aesthetic terms and in the context of our social environment. I am grateful to them and to the lenders, who have generously joined us to distinguish Robert Mapplethorpe through this exhibition and book. Tom Armstrong
|