"As variously costumed characters, Mapplethorpe researches his own identity, capturing his complex and contradictory nature. Whether depicting himself in a playful, fierce, or vulnerable state, the artist’s explorations are intensely personal and self-reflexive. In a number of early self-portraits, Mapplethorpe boldly explores the notion of gender. In one work from 1980, the artist appears as a sneering, smoking greaser – a James Dean archetype. In another from the same year, Self Portrait (with make-up), Mapplethorpe blurs his gender identity by appearing in partial drag, his face dramatically made-up."
Skarstedt
YouTube: Robert Mapplethorpe 'Self Portrait', 1980
2008 July: Robert Mapplethorpe, 2010 September: Arena - Robert Mapplethorpe (1988), 2010 October: The Hotel Chelsea, 2011 December: "Wild Leaves" - Patti Smith on World Aids Day, 2012 September: Last Address - Ira Sachs.
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