WHERE: Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.
WHEN: On view through January 24, 2016.
“Warhol & Mapplethorpe: Guise & Dolls”
BRIEF ABOUT: First major exhibition to pair the work of artists Andy Warhol and Robert Mapplethorpe which showcases approximately 100 paintings, photographs, Polaroids, prints, videos and pieces of ephemera.
Focusing on New York in the 1970s and early 80s, this exhibit explores the vibrant and tumultuous era of change through the work of Warhol and Mapplethorpe, both of whose work in portraiture and self-portraiture evoke particular disguises, characters and ambiguous personalities.
The exhibition offers a close look at the artists’ portraits of each other, self-portraits and a selection of iconic portraits of sitters that address role-playing and gender roles: masculinity, femininity and androgyny. These portraits are presented alongside numerous other works and ephemera that demonstrate the artists’ engagement with gender, identity, sexuality, beauty, performance and disguise; moreover, subjects that emerged during the lively period of gender fluidity and sexual freedom during the rise of the gay rights movement in the 1970s.
Focusing on several prominent bodies of work from each artist’s oeuvre: Warhol’s “Ladies and Gentlemen” series (1975) of drag queen portraits, Christopher Makos’s
“Altered Images” series of Warhol in drag, Mapplethorpe’s photographs of lifelong friend and Long time muse Patti Smith that range from masculine to feminine and Mapplethorpe’s photographic series and book, “Lady: Lisa Lyon” (1983) of the female bodybuilding champion in numerous gender-bending guises. Androgynous and cross-dressing subjects, including Bob Colacello, Candy Darling and Grace Jones are also presented.
About
Founded in 1842, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is the oldest public art museum in the United States. The museum’s nearly 50,000 works of art span 5,000 years, from Greek and Roman antiquities to the first museum collection of American contemporary art. The museum’s five connected buildings-representing architectural styles from Gothic Revival to modern International Style-are located at 600 Main Street in Hartford, Conn. The museum celebrated its Grand Reopening on Sept. 19, 2015, marking the completion of a 5-year, $33 million renovation. Hours: Wed – Fri: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sat and Sun: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; First Thursdays: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Admission: $5 – 10; discounts for members, students and seniors. Phone: (860) 278-2670; website: http://thewadsworth.org.