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Xavier Hufkens

Robert Mapplethorpe

Man in Polyester Suit, 1980

silver gelatin print
40.6 x 50.8 cm, 16 x 20 in.

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Man in Polyester Suit is one of Mapplethorpe's most contentious and provocative works, included in his Z Portfolio. The model was Milton Moore. His penis disrupts the line of the clothing, a scandalous act that’s a constant possibility for every human in garments: the moment of forbidden exposure. The presence of garments compounds the tension.


Permanent Collections

  • Los Angeles County Museum of Art / J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California
  • Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden
  • Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, New York
  • Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Exhibitions

  • Sleepless Nights: From the 1980s in Moderna Museet’s Collection. Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden, February 28, 2023 - January 14, 2024
  • Implicit Tensions: Mapplethorpe Now (Cycle A). Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY, January 25 - July 10, 2019
  • Robert Mapplethorpe: Choreography for an Exhibition. MADRE, Naples, Italy, December 14, 2018 - April 22, 2019
  • Historias da Sexualidade. Museu de Arte São Paolo, São Paolo, Brazil, October 20, 2017 - February 28, 2018
  • Robert Mapplethorpe - On the Edge. ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Aarhus, Denmark, June 17 - October 30, 2016
  • Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Medium. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA, and J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA, March 20 - July 31, 2016. Traveled to: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Canada (2016 - 2017); Kunsthal Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands (2017); Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia (2017 - 2018)
  • Mapplethorpe + Munch. Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway, February 6 - May 28, 2016
  • Robert Mapplethorpe: Saints and Sinners. Sean Kelly Gallery, New York, NY, November 14, 2013 - January 25, 2014
  • Nude Men: From 1800 to the Present Day. Leopold Museum, Vienna, Austria, October 10, 2012 - January 28, 2013
  • Robert Mapplethorpe. i8 Gallery, Reykjavik, Iceland, July 28 - September 10, 2011
  • Robert Mapplethorpe: Eros and Order. Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 4 - August 2, 2010
  • Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera Since 1870. Tate Modern, London, England, May 28 - October 3, 2010. Traveled to: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA (2010-2011); Walker Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN (2011)
  • Robert Mapplethorpe. NRW-Forum Kultur Wirtschaft, Dusseldorf, Germany, February 6 - August 15, 2010. Traveled to: C/O Berlin, Berlin, Germany (2011); Fotografiska, Stockholm, Sweden (2011); Forma Foundation for Photography, Milan, Italy (2011); Ludwig Museum, Budapest, Hungary (2012)
  • Chelsea Hotel: Ghosts of Bohemia. DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, Prague, Czech Republic, April 12, 2009 - March 29, 2010
  • Eros in der kunst der moderne. Fondation Beyeler, Basel, Switzerland, October 8, 2006 - February 18, 2007. Traveled to: CA Kunstforum, Wien, Austria (2007)
  • Lisa, Milton, Thomas, and Ken. Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France, May 8 - June 7, 2008
  • I Love Louise with a Large L. - Un salon pour Louise Bourgeois. Curated by Xavier Tricot. Foundation De Elf Lijnen, Oudenburg, Belgium, December 17, 2006 - February 17, 2007
  • Robert Mapplethorpe: Porträts und Erotik. Galerie i. Alten Rathaus, Prien am Chiemsee, Germany, October 20 - December 11, 2005. Traveled to: Stadtgalerie, Klagenfurt, Austria (2006)
  • Only Skin Deep, Changing Visions of the American Self. International Center of Photography, New York, NY, December 12, 2003 - February 29, 2004
  • The American Century: Art & Culture, 1950 - 2000. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, September 26, 1999 - February 13, 2000
  • Black Male: Representations of Masculinity in Contemporary American Art. Curated by Thelma Golden. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, 1994
  • LEGEME. Galleri F 15, Alby, Norway, August 7 - October 3, 1991
  • Robert Mapplethorpe. Kunstverein, Frankfurt, Germany, April 10 - May 18, 1981. Traveled to: Fotogalerie Forum Stadtpark, Graz, Austria; Modern Art Galerie, Vienna, Austria; PPS Galerie F.C. Gundlach, Hamburg, Germany; Kunsthalle Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Kunstverein, Munich, Germany; Nikon Foto Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland
  • Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Moment. Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica, CA, 2000
  • The Garden of Earthly Delights: Weston and Mapplethorpe. California Museum of Photography, Riverside, CA. Traveled to: Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD (1995); International Center for Photography, New York, NY (1995)
  • Robert Mapplethorpe. Curated by Germano Celant. Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark, 1992. Traveled to: Centro di Documentazione di Palazzo Fortuny, Venice, Italy (1992); Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Turin, Italy (1992); Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden (1992); Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Prato, Italy (1993); Residence of Ambassador Negroponte, Manila, Philippines (1993); Museo Pecci Prato, Prato, Italy (1993); Turun Taidemuseo, Turku, Finland (1993); Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels, Belgium (1993); Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv, Israel (1994); Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona, Spain (1994); KunstHaus, Wien, Vienna, Austria (1994); Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia (1995); Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Australia (1995); City Gallery Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand (1995); Hayward Gallery, London, England (1996); Gallery of Photography, Dublin, Ireland (1996); Museu de Arte Moderna, São Paulo, Brazil (1997); Staatdgalerie, Stuttgart, Germany (1997)
  • Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Moment. Curated by Janet Kardon. Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, December 9, 1988 - January 29, 1989. Traveled to: MCA Chicago, Chicago, IL (1989); Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, D.C. (1989); Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT (1989); University Art Museum, University of California, Berkeley, CA (1990); Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH (1990); ICA Boston, Boston, MA (1990)
  • Robert Mapplethorpe: Ten by Ten. Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands, February 26 - April 18, 1988. Traveled to: Centre Pompidou, Paris, France (1988)
  • Robert Mapplethorpe. Obalne Galerije, Piran, Solvenia, 1986
  • Robert Mapplethorpe, 1970-1983. Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, England, November 4, 1983 - December 19, 1983. Traveled to: Stills, Edinburgh, Scotland (1983); Arnolfini, Bristol, England (1983); Midland Group, Nottingham, England (1984); Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, England (1984)

Publications

  • Criticizing Photographs. Edited by Terry Barrett. New York, NY: Routledge, 2021
  • Robert Mapplethorpe. Edited by Mark Holborn and Dimitri Levas with a new poem by Patti Smith and a new introduction by Andrew Sullivan. New York: Phaidon, 2020. Monograph
  • Robert Mapplethorpe: Choreography for an Exhibition. Naples, Italy: Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee, 2019. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Historias Da Sexualidade. Edited by Camila Bechelany and Adriano Pedrosa. São Paulo: Museu de Arte de São Paulo, 2018. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Robert Mapplethorpe: Pictures. Essays by Susan Sontag and Jonathan K. Nelson. Porto, Portugal: Serralves Foundation, 2018. Exhibition Catalogue.
  • Mapplethorpe + Munch. Edited by Richard Meyer and Jon-Ove Steihaug. Oslo, Norway: Munch Museum, 2016. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Robert Mapplethorpe: The Photographs. Edited by Paul Martineau and Britt Salvesen. Los Angeles, CA: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2016. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Robert Mapplethorpe: On the Edge. Edited by Erlend G. Høyersten. Aarhus, Denmark: ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, 2016. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Mapplethorpe + Munch. Edited by Richard Meyer, Jon-Ove Steihaug. Brussels: Mercatorfonds, Brussels and Munch Museum Oslo, 2016. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Robert Mapplethorpe. Edited by Jerome Neutres. Paris, France: Réunion des musées nationaux - Grand Palais, 2014. Exhibition Catalogue.
  • Mapplethorpe: The Nymph Photography. Edited by Germano Celant. Italy: Skira, 2014. Monograph
  • Nude Men: From 1800 to the Present Day. Edited by Leopold Museum. Vienna, Austria: Hirmer Publishers, 2013. Exhibition Catalogue.
  • The Homoerotic Photograph: Male Images from Durieu/Delacroix to Mapplethorpe. Edited by Allen Ellenzweig. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 2012
  • This Will Have Been: Art, Love & Politics in the 1980s. Edited by Helen Molesworth, Johanna Burton, Bill Horrigan, et al.. Chicago, IL / New Haven, CT: Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago / Yale University Press, 2012. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Robert Mapplethorpe. Edited by Alessandra Mauro and Alessia Tagliaventi. Milan, Italy: Contrasto, 2011. Exhibition Catalogue.
  • Glenn Ligon: America. Edited by Scott Rothkopf. New York: The Whitney Museum of American Art, 2011. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Robert Mapplethorpe: Eros and Order. Edited by Anne Tucker. Buenos Aires, Argentina: MALBA - Fundación Constantini, 2010. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Robert Mapplethorpe: Photographs. Edited by Felix Hoffman and Martin Jaeggi. Germany: C/O Berlin, 2010. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Chelsea Hotel: Ghosts of Bohemia. Edited by Jaroslav Andel. Prague, Czech Republic: Dox Centre for Contemporary Art, 2009. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Eros in der kunst der moderne. Edited by BA~CA Kunstforum Wien. Germany: BA~CA Kunstforum Wien, 2007. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Hommes Pour Hommes. Edited by Pierre Borhan. Paris, France: Editions des Deux Terres, 2007
  • Mapplethorpe. Edited by Arthur C. Danto. Germany: teNeues, 2007. Monograph
  • I Love Louise with a Large L. - Un salon pour Louise Bourgeois. Oudenburg, Belgium: Foundation De Elf Lijnen, 2006-2007. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Eros in der kunst der moderne. Edited by Fondation Beyeler. Germany: Fondation Beyeler, 2006. Exhibition Catalogue.
  • Robert Mapplethorpe. Tra Antico e Moderno, un antologia. Edited by Germano Celant. Florence, Italy: Artificio Skira, 2005. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Robert Mapplethorpe: Porträts und Erotik. Edited by Peter Weiermair. Germany: Galerie im Alten Rathaus Prien am Cheimsee / Alpen-Adria-Galerie Klagenfurt, 2005. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Stern Portfolio no. 33 (Spezial Fotografie). Edited by Tom Jacobi. Hamburg, Germany: Thomas Osterkorn, Andreas Petzold, 2003
  • Only Skin Deep, Changing Visions of the American Self. Edited by Coco Fusco and Brian Wallis. Abrams, Inc., 2003. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Den maskulina mystiken: konst, kön och modernitet. Edited by Anna Lena Lindberg. Sweden: Studentlitteratur, 2002. Theory
  • Unsettling 'Sensation': Arts-Policy Lessons from the Brooklyn Museum of Art Controversy. Edited by Lawrence Rothfield. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2001. Theory
  • On Black Men. Edited by David Marriott. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000. Theory
  • Robert Mapplethorpe. Edited by Sala Parpalló. Valéncia, Spain: Centre Cultural la Beneficència, 1999. Exhibition Catalogue
  • The American Century Art & Culture 1950 - 2000. Edited by Lisa Phillips. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company / Whitney Museum, 1999. Exhibition Catalogue
  • The Garden of Earthly Delights: Weston and Mapplethorpe. Edited by Jonathan Green. USA: UCR/California Museum of Photography, 1995. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Black Male: Representations of Masculinity in Contemporary American Art. Edited by Thelma Golden. New York: Whitney Museum of American Art, 1994. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Secret Flowers. Milan, Italy: Photology, 1993
  • The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. Edited by Henry Abelove, Michèle Aina Barale and David M. Halperin. New York, NY: Routledge, 1993
  • Die Zukunft Der Bilder. Edited by Gerhard Pfennig. Germany: Steidl, 1993
  • Mapplethorpe. Edited by Arthur C. Danto, Mark Holborn and Dimitri Levas New York: Random House, 1992. Monograph
  • Arresting Images: Impolitic Art and Uncivil Actions. Edited by Steven C. Dubin. London, England: Routledge, 1992
  • Mapplethorpe. Edited by Germano Celant. Genoa, Italy/ New York: Electa, 1992. Exhibition Catalogue
  • The Perfect Moment. Edited by Janet Kardon. Philadelphia, PA: Institute of Contemporary Art Philadelphia, 1988. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Robert Mapplethorpe: Ten by Ten. Edited by Els Barents. Germany: Schirmer-Mosel, 1988. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Robert Mapplethorpe. Edited by Richard Marshall. New York: Whitney Museum of American Art, 1988. Exhibition Catalogue.
  • Robert Mapplethorpe. Edited by Patti Smith. New York: Bellport Press, 1987. Monograph
  • Robert Mapplethorpe fotografije. Piran, Slovenia: Obalne Galerije Piran, 1986. Exhibition Catalogue.
  • Black Book. Edited by Ntozake Shange. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1986. Monograph
  • Robert Mapplethorpe 1970-1983. Edited by ICA. London, England: ICA, 1983. Exhibition Catalogue
  • Robert Mapplethorpe. Edited by Peter Weiermair. Germany: Frankfurter Kunstverein, 1981. Exhibition Catalogue