Friday, January 28, 2011

Robert Mapplethorpe Portraits Includes Frederica Von Stade

Mum by Robert Mapplethorpe
"As a result, 'Portraits' includes striking blue-and-white photographs of numerous people who are, arguably, more famous than the artist himself. There's Smith, of course, notably the famous portrait that was used on the cover of 'Horses,' her 1975 debut album. There are other New York rockers of the period (Iggy Pop, Deborah Harry, David Byrne) and Mapplethorpe's contemporaries in the world of art (Louise Bourgeois, Keith Haring). There are representations from the worlds of fashion (Carolina Herrera), performance art (Laurie Anderson), dance (Bill T. Jones), writing (William Burroughs, Truman Capote) and acting (Richard Gere and Glenn Close, both very young at the time). But there is something more to the images,
Flicka, but not Mapplethorpe
something beyond individual photographs of single artists. Taken together, the photos that make up 'Portraits' are a snapshot of New York City in the 1970s and '80s, reflecting the vibrancy and creativity of the era. 'There are some segments of New York that are missing' in Mapplethorpe's work, Baldwin says. 'Serious music, with the exception of one opera star (Frederica von Stade), is not present. And it was a great period for poetry in New York, and not many of those people are present. But it is certainly a very lively segment of New York's cultural life of the period that Mapplethorpe captured with his camera.' [
Source]

I could not find the specific image of Frederica von Stade taken by Robert Mapplethorpe on the internet. Perhaps someone that goes to the exhibit will snap a shot of the photo.