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The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is currently showcasing a major retrospective of the American photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe.
Mr. Mapplethorpe was born in New York in 1946 and studied advertising and graphic design at the Pratt Institute. As a boy he made jewellery, but soon afterwards, he discovered a Polaroid camera and devoted his attention to photography.
It wasn't long before he made a name for himself in the New York art world and many of his beautiful black and white celebrity portraits make up part of this current exhibition. While these showcase the compositional and lighting skills of Mr. Mapplethorpe, they also are a testament to the darkroom skills of his printer – Tom Baril.
Mr. Mapplethorpe was a controversial figure – involved in the BDSM scene – and his photographs of gay men are part of the reason he is both revered and despised.
To illustrate the range of Mr. Mapplethorpe's talent, the show also includes many photographs of flowers – one of his reoccurring themes.
Mr. Mapplethorpe died in Boston in 1989 at the age of 42.
The exhibition in Montreal continues until January 22, 2017. The MMFA is the only Canadian venue for this show. After it closes, the exhibition moves on to Sydney, Australia.