Juergen Teller to curate Mapplethorpe retrospective

05.09.2016 | Art | BY:

In honour of what would have been Robert Mapplethorpe‘s 70th birthday, Juergen Teller will be curating a retrospective of the iconoclast’s vast and provocative body of work – ‘Teller On Mapplethorpe’ – at London’s Alison Jacques Gallery.

No photographer since Robert Mapplethorpe has so seamlessly blurred the lines between commercial fashion photography and art as Juergen Teller, and both artists are famed for twisting and manipulating conventional understandings of photography as an art form. The gallery is said to have granted Teller free access to Mapplethorpe’s entire archive of both published and unpublished work, circumstances that facilitate a deep and rich reading of the rebel artist’s work. Without a doubt, to view Mapplethorpe’s photographic oeuvre through Juergen Teller’s visionary lens promises to be a unique and rarefied experience.

milton_moore

Milton Moore, 1981

Mapplethorpe sought an unrealistic perfection of form in everything he photographed, from acts of sexual fetishism to the delicate shapes and contours of flowers. His classical and formalist approach to scandalous and highly explicit subject matter elevated photography to the level of painting and broke down the barriers between pornography and art.

Alison Jacques, who has represented the Estate of Robert Mapplethorpe in Britain for seventeen years, said: “Provocative and subversive, making images which are the antithesis of conventional fashion photography and, most importantly, a key artist of his time, Juergen Teller was the only choice to curate this special exhibition of Robert’s work. There are obvious parallels between these artists and I am excited to see how Juergen will bring his edge, energy and unique vision to a new reading of Robert’s work.”

Jennifer Jakobson

Jennifer Jakobson, 1981

This will be the gallery’s first exhibition of Mapplethorpe’s works since the dual retrospective ‘Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Medium’ at The J. Paul Getty Museum and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles (2016), and follows on from the recent release of the HBO documentary film Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures (2016).

‘Teller On Mapplethorpe’ will be held at the Alison Jacques Gallery from 18th November – 7th January.

Alisonjacquesgallery.com

Main image: Ken Moody, 1985

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Portrait of a lady

16.12.2010 | Art , Blog , Culture | BY:

It’s your last chance to see Graham Little’s virtuoso drawings at the Alison Jacques Gallery this weekend. His pencil on paper portraits inspired by old fashion magazine shoots are beguiling and romantic. Taking inspiration from the pages of vintage Vogue and Harpers, Little breathes a painterly quality into what were once glossy photographs. In doing so, he transforms fashion models into timeless beauties.

Little’s muses are all about muted colours and thoughtful gazes, proving that even in our crowded visual world we can still unearth new stories and narratives from archival images. These softly feminine women live in a world outside of fashion and time. Catch them before they disappear.

Graham Little is at the Alison Jacques gallery until December 19th.
Alisonjacquesgallery.com

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