Robert Mapplethorpe
50 Americans
at the Sean Kelly Gallery
May 7 - June 18, 2011

Opening reception:
Friday, May 6, 6 - 8 pm

Panel discussion: New Curatorial Models will take place at Sean Kelly Gallery
Saturday, May 7, 3 - 5 pm (for more information please visit the news section of our website.)


As part of our participation in New York Gallery Week, we will be open on Sunday, May 8 from 12 - 5 pm.

New York, March 17, 2011— Sean Kelly Gallery will present 50 Americans, an exhibition that features fifty works by legendary American artist Robert Mapplethorpe (1946–1989) as selected by fifty Americans of diverse occupations, ages, races, and backgrounds. Fifty people, one from each state in the Union, were invited to select a single artwork from over 2,000 images in Mapplethorpe’s oeuvre that resonated with them personally. While some participants may have already been familiar with Mapplethorpe’s work, some were not. Each image included in the exhibition will be accompanied by a text that explains why the participant who selected it found it to be meaningful.

Robert Mapplethorpe is undoubtedly one of the most talented, prolific, and controversial contemporary American artists. Before his untimely death in 1989, he created a remarkable body of work that is unrivaled in breadth and scope. This exhibition will offer a unique opportunity to see two portraits emerge. While the exhibition primarily affords a fresh look at Mapplethorpe and his practice, it also offers a portrait of the tastes and concerns of the exhibition’s curators: everyday Americans.

The fifty Americans were invited to participate in the project by a variety of means as diverse as internet advertising, cold calling, and friends of friends of friends. They range in age from their 20s to one individual who is over 100, they live in both rural and urban settings, and work as various professions such as a rancher, a business analyst, a salesperson, a rabbi, and an IT engineer. Each participant made his or her image selection based on individual interests and aesthetics, creating a demographic snapshot of America that reminds us of what a uniquely diverse country the United States is, with room for countless differing opinions and tastes.

50 Americans will present a new perspective on Mapplethorpe, whose artistic practice was shaped by the social, cultural, and political agendas of his time. It will serve as a visual sociological survey, demonstrating how Mapplethorpe’s oeuvre is regarded today, shedding light on current cultural tastes and points of view and revealing the power of Mapplethorpe’s enduring legacy.

Robert Mapplethorpe was born in 1946 in New York. He earned a B.F.A. from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where he produced artwork in a variety of media, mainly collage. The shift to photography as Mapplethorpe’s sole means of expression happened gradually during the mid-1970s. He took his first photographs using a Polaroid camera, and later became known for his portraits of artists, architects, socialites, stars of pornographic films, members of the S&M community, and an array of other unique people, many of whom were personal friends. During the early 1980s, his photographs shifted to emphasize classical formal beauty, concentrating on statuesque male and female nudes, flowers, still lifes, and formal portraits.

Sean Kelly Gallery represents the Robert Mapplethorpe Estate in the Americas.

ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE: 50 Americans

May 7 – June 18, 2011


Gallery 1:

Self Portrait, 1982
gelatin silver print
image: 15 x 15 inches (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 30 1/8 x 30 1/4 inches (76.5 x 76.8 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#8/10)
MAP-955.8


Hallway (right side):

Ken Moody and Robert Sherman, 1984
gelatin silver print
image: 15 1/8 x 15 inches (38.4 x 38.1 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 30 1/2 x 29 1/2 inches (77.5 x 74.9 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs
MAP-1353
Selected by Maine participant

Gallery 2 (counter-clockwise from east wall):

Urn with Fruit, 1987
dye transfer print
image: 18 3/4 x 18 1/2 inches (47.6 x 47 cm)
paper: 24 x 20 inches (61 x 50.8 cm)
framed: 30 x 29 3/4 inches (76.2 x 75.6 cm)
edition of 7 with 1 AP (#7/7)
MAP-DT1776.7
Selected by Montana participant

Gallery 2 (north wall):

Lisa Lyon, 1982
gelatin silver print
image: 15 1/8 x 15 1/4 inches (39 x 39 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (51 x 41 cm)
framed: 25 1/4 x 24 inches (64.1 x 61 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#3/10)
MAP-860.3
Selected by Connecticut participant

Hands, 1981/ printed 2011
gelatin silver print
image: 14 x 11 inches (35.6 x 27.9 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 27 1/4 x 22 1/4 inches (69.2 x 56.5 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#6/10)
MAP-624.6
Selected by Rhode Island participant

Chest, 1983 / printed 2011
gelatin silver print
image: 15 1/4 x 15 inches (38.7 x 38.1 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 25 1/8 x 24 1/2 inches (63.8 x 62.2 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#3/10)
MAP-1203.3
Selected by Minnesota participant

Phillip Prioleau, 1984
gelatin silver print
image: 19 1/4 x 14 inches (48.9 x 35.6 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 27 1/4 x 22 1/4 inches (69.2 x 56.5 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#2/10)
MAP-1325.1.2
Selected by New York participant

Gallery 2 (west wall):

Ken Moody, 1985 / printed 2011
gelatin silver print
image: 19 x 15 1/8 inches (48.3 x 38.4 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 26 x 20 inches (66 x 50.8 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#4/10)
MAP-1538.4
Selected by New Hampshire participant

Embrace, 1982 / printed 1990
gelatin silver print
image: 19 1/8 x 15 1/8 inches (49 x 38 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (51 x 41 cm)
framed: 32 1/2 x 27 1/2 inches (82.6 x 69.9 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#AP1/2)
MAP-866.AP1
Selected by Michigan participant

Vincent, 1981
gelatin silver print
image: 15 x 15 inches (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 25 1/4 x 24 inches (64.1 x 61 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#5/10)
MAP-604.5
Selected by Florida participant

African Daisy, 1982
dye transfer print
image: 15 1/8 x 15 1/8 inches (38.4 x 38.4 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 24 1/8 x 23 1/8 inches (61.3 x 58.7 cm)
edition of 4 with 1 AP (#4/4)
MAP-DT958.4
Selected by Utah participant

Jack Walls and Sam Sullivan, 1983
gelatin silver print
image: 10 x 10 inches (25.4 x 25.4 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 25 x 24 1/4 inches (63.5 x 61.6 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#2/10)
MAP-1138.2
Selected by North Carolina participant

Susan Sarandon and Eva Amurri, 1988
gelatin silver print
image: 22 7/8 x 19 1/4 inches (48.9 x 48.9 cm)
paper: 24 x 20 inches (61 x 50.8 cm)
framed: 30 x 29 1/4 inches (76.2 x 74.3 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#4/10)
MAP-1954.4
Selected by South Dakota participant

Horse #5, 1982
gelatin silver print
image: 15 1/4 x 15 1/4 inches (38.7 x 38.7 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 25 1/4 x 24 1/2 inches (64.1 x 62.2 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#3/10)
MAP-968.3
Selected by Vermont participant

Gallery 2 (south wall):

Sebastian and Nda, 1981
gelatin silver print
image: 14 x 14 inches (35.6 x 35.6 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 28 1/2 x 27 inches (72.4 x 68.6 cm)
edition of 15 with 3 APs (#6/15)
MAP-551.6
Selected by Nevada participant

Bill T. Jones, 1985
gelatin silver print
image: 19 1/8 x 15 1/4 inches (48.6 x 38.7 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 28 1/4 x 25 1/4 inches (71.8 x 64.1 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#2/10)
MAP-1595.2
Selected by Alabama participant

Children, Puerto Rico, 1981
gelatin silver print
image: 15 1/4 x 15 5/8 inches (38.7 x 39.7 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 25 x 24 3/4 inches (63.5 x 62.9 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#2/10)
MAP-595.2
Selected by Mississippi participant

Gallery 2 (east wall):

Lisa Lyon, 1982 / printed 2010
gelatin silver print
image: 15 1/8 x 15 inches (38.4 x 38.1 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 25 1/4 x 24 inches (64.1 x 61 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#4/10)
MAP-814.4
Selected by Wyoming participant

Danger Pericolo, 1983
gelatin silver print
image: 15 1/4 x 15 1/4 inches (38.7 x 38.7 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 25 x 24 inches (63.5 x 61 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#3/10)
MAP-1169.3
Selected by Oregon participant

Hallway (right side):

Nick Marden, 1980 / printed 2010
gelatin silver print
image: 14 x 13 7/8 inches (35.6 x 35.2 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 29 1/4 x 28 1/2 inches (74.3 x 72.4 cm)
edition of 15 with 3 APs (#9/15)
MAP-386.9
Selected by Tennessee participant

Charles Tennant, 1978 / printed 2007
gelatin silver print
image: 14 x 14 inches (35.6 x 35.6 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 25 1/8 x 24 1/2 inches (63.8 x 62.2 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#5/10)
MAP-234.5
Selected by Louisiana participant

Main gallery (counter-clockwise from right north wall):

Sonia and Tracy, 1988
gelatin silver print
image: 19 1/4 x 19 1/4 inches (48.9 x 48.9 cm)
paper: 24 x 20 inches (61 x 50.8 cm)
framed: 30 x 29 1/4 inches (76.2 x 74.3 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#3/10)
MAP-1944.3
Selected by Georgia participant

Aira, 1979 (top)
gelatin silver print
image: 13 7/8 x 13 7/8 inches (35 x 35 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (51x 41 cm)
framed: 24 1/4 x 23 1/8 inches (61.6 x 58.7 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#1/10)
MAP-226.1
Selected by South Carolina participant

Lisa Lyon, 1980 (bottom)
gelatin silver print
image: 15 1/8 x 15 1/4 inches (38.4 x 38.7 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 25 1/4 x 24 inches (64.1 x 61 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#2/10)
MAP-833.2
Selected by Kansas participant

Main gallery (west wall):

Tulips, 1987
gelatin silver print
image: 19 1/4 x 23 inches (48.9 x 58.4 cm)
paper: 24 x 20 inches (61 x 50.8 cm)
framed: 33 x 28 inches (83.8 x 71.1 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs
MAP-1732
Selected by Idaho participant

Sonia Resika, 1988
gelatin silver print
image: 23 x 19 1/4 inches (58.4 x 48.9 cm)
paper: 24 x 20 inches (61 x 51 cm)
framed: 39 1/4 x 29 1/2 inches (99.7 x 74.9 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs
MAP-1871
Selected by Texas participant

Orchid, 1987
dye transfer print
image: 22 1/2 x 22 1/4 inches (57.2 x 56.5 cm)
paper: 24 x 30 inches (61 x 76.2 cm)
framed: 34 1/2 x 33 1/2 inches (87.6 x 85.1 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs
MAP-DT1802
Selected by Maryland participant

Lisa Marie/Torso, 1987
gelatin silver print
image: 23 x 19 inches (58.4 x 48.3 cm)
paper: 24 x 20 inches (61 x 50.8 cm)
framed: 36 1/4 x 31 1/4 inches (92.1 x 79.4 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs
MAP-1816
Selected by Ohio participant

Calla Lily, 1989
gelatin silver print
image: 18 3/4 x 18 5/8 inches (47.6 x 47.3 cm)
paper: 24 x 20 inches (61 x 50.8 cm)
framed: 32 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches (82.6 x 80 cm)
edition of 7 with 1 AP (Vintage print)
MAP-DT1836
Selected by New Jersey participant

Lisa Lyon, 1981
gelatin silver print
image: 19 1/4 x 15 1/4 inches (48.9 x 38.7 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 26 x 20 inches (66 x 50.8 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#2/10)
MAP-1009.2
Selected by Iowa participant

William Burroughs, 1981
gelatin silver print
image: 19 x 15 inches (48.3 x 38.1 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (51x 41 cm)
framed: 28 1/4 x 27 3/8 inches (71.8 x 69.5 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#8/10)
MAP-606.8
Selected by Arizona participant

Lisa Lyon, 1980
gelatin silver print
image: 13 7/8 x 13 7/8 inches (35.2 x 35.2 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 29 x 28 1/2 inches (73.7 x 72.4 cm)
edition of 15 with 3 APs (#1/15)
MAP-456.1
Selected by Wisconsin participant

Main gallery (south wall):

Alistair Butler, 1980
gelatin silver print
image: 13 7/8 x 14 inches (35.2 x 35.6 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 25 1/4 x 24 inches (64.1 x 61 cm)
edition of 15 with 3 APs (#7/15)
MAP-460.7
Selected by Arkansas participant

Lisa Lyon, 1982
gelatin silver print
image: 19 x 15 1/4 inches (48.3 x 38.7 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 32 3/4 x 27 3/4 inches (83.2 x 70.5 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#10/10)
MAP-852.10
Selected by Oklahoma participant

Ken Moody, 1983 / printed 2008
gelatin silver print
image: 19 1/8 x 15 1/4 inches (48.6 x 38.7 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 32 1/2 x 27 1/2 inches (82.6 x 69.9 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#8/10)
MAP-1293.8
Selected by Washington participant

Orchid, 1989
dye transfer print
image: 23 1/2 x 22 1/2 inches (59.7 x 57.2 cm)
paper: 24 x 30 inches (61 x 76.2 cm)
framed: 39 3/4 x 38 3/4 inches (101 x 98.4 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (vintage print)
MAP-DT1937.VPa
Selected by Virginia participant

Dan S., 1980 / printed 1994
gelatin silver print
image: 17 7/8 x 14 inches (45.4 x 35.6 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 30 3/4 x 25 1/2 inches (78.1 x 64.8 cm)
edition of 15 with 3 APs (#AP3/3)
MAP-528.AP3
Selected by Colorado participant

Cock and Gun, 1982
gelatin silver print
image: 19 5/8 x 15 1/4 inches (49.8 x 38.7 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 28 x 27 1/4 inches (71.1 x 69.2 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#3/10)
MAP-824.3
Selected by North Dakota participant

White Gauze, 1984
gelatin silver print
image: 15 1/4 x 15 3/8 inches (38.7 x 39.1 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 30 1/2 x 29 1/2 inches (77.5 x 74.9 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#2/10)
MAP-1329.2
Selected by Pennsylvania participant

Main gallery (east wall):

Patti Smith, 1978 / printed 2011
gelatin silver print
image: 13 15/16 x 13 15/16 inches (35.5 x 35.5 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 29 1/8 x 29 1/8 inches (74 x 74 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#7/10)
MAP-1963.7
Selected by Delaware participant

Willem de Kooning, 1986 / printed 1990
gelatin silver print
image: 19 1/4 x 19 inches (48.9 x 48.3 cm)
paper: 24 x 20 inches (61 x 50.8 cm)
framed: 30 1/2 x 29 1/4 inches (77.5 x 74.3 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#AP1/2)
MAP-1629.AP1
Selected by Alaska participant

Deborah Harry, 1978
gelatin silver print
Image: 13 3/4 x 13 3/4 inches (34.9 x 34.9 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 25 x 24 inches (63.5 x 61 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs
MAP-60
Selected by California participant

Tulip, 1977
gelatin silver print
image: 13 3/4 x 13 3/4 inches (34.9 x 34.9 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 24 x 22 inches (61 x 55.9 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs
MAP-142
Selected by Missouri participant

Flowers, 1986
gelatin silver print
image: 19 1/4 x 19 1/4 inches (48.9 x 48.9 cm)
paper: 24 x 20 inches (61 x 50.8 cm)
framed: 35 1/4 x 34 1/4 inches (89.5 x 87 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#AP2/2)
MAP-1636.AP2
Selected by Kentucky participant

Winter Landscape, 1979 / printed 2006
gelatin silver print
image: 13 7/8 x 13 7/8 inches (35 x 35 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (51x 41 cm)
framed: 25 x 24 3/4 inches (63.5 x 62.9 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#2/10)
MAP-287.2
Selected by Indiana participant

Patti Smith, 1976
gelatin silver print
image: 13 7/8 x 13 7/8 inches (35.2 x 35.2 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 27 5/8 x 26 1/2 inches (70.2 x 67.3 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs
MAP-56
Selected by Massachusetts participant

American Flag, 1977
gelatin silver print
image: 13 7/8 x 13 7/8 inches (35 x 35 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 32 1/2 x 27 1/2 inches (82.6 x 69.9 cm)
edition of 5 with 1 AP
MAP-157
Selected by New Mexico participant

Lindsay Key, 1985/ printed 2011
gelatin silver print
image: 19 x 15 1/4 inches (48.3 x 38.7 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 26 x 20 inches (66 x 50.8 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#3/10)
MAP-1888.3
Selected by Nebraska participant

Main gallery (north wall):

Lisa Lyon, 1982
gelatin silver print
image: 15 3/16 x 15 3/16 inches (38.6 x 38.6 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 24 1/2 x 23 inches (62.2 x 58.4 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#3/10)
MAP-713.3
Selected by West Virginia participant

Self Portrait, 1988
gelatin silver print
image: 23 x 19 inches (58 x 48 cm)
paper: 24 x 20 inches (61 x 51 cm)
framed: 39 x 31 inches (99.1 x 78.7 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs
MAP-1860
Selected by Hawaii participant

Hand in Fire, 1985 / printed 2006
gelatin silver print
image: 10 x 10 inches (25.4 x 25.4 cm)
paper: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
framed: 23 3/4 x 23 1/4 inches (60.3 x 59.1 cm)
edition of 10 with 2 APs (#8/10)
MAP-1577.8
Selected by Illinois participant