Mapplethorpe exhibition in Venice: the body, the myth, the light

If you haven’t planned a visit to Venice in the coming months, take my advice as a friend: do something about it right away. And not just for the gondolas or sunsets on the Grand Canal, but for an unmissable event on the island of San Giorgio. At the Stanze della Fotografia, from 10 April 2025 to 6 January 2026, Robert Mapplethorpe awaits you. Le forme del classico (The Forms of the Classic), an exhibition that, I’ll say it straight out, will leave you speechless.

Yes, I’m talking about Mapplethorpe, the provocative, visionary and refined American photographer. The man who transformed bodies into sculptures and flowers into symbols.

In this breathtaking retrospective, you will find over 200 photographs: male and female nudes, magnetic portraits, elegant self-portraits, collages of his origins and his iconic flowers, but above all, you will discover a Mapplethorpe you do not expect: classic, almost Greek in his search for perfection of form.

Robert Mapplethorpe. The forms of the classic on display in Venice

The exhibition is curated by Denis Curti, and it is immediately clear: every detail has been designed to transport you into a world where ancient art meets contemporary photography.

The exhibition itinerary is a journey through light and matter, punctuated by a setting that is itself part of the work. Do you know why? Because here colour is not just a backdrop, but a narrative.

The walls of the exhibition are covered with a special paint, “Antartica”, by San Marco, a company that knows the value of art and has done things in a big way here. The colour shades accompany the various stages of the exhibition: it begins with a salmon pink that welcomes you like a delicate invitation, moving on to lavender that gradually becomes more intense until it turns deep blue, then explodes into a deep red in the most powerful section of the exhibition. This is where Mapplethorpe plays with classical statuary and reinterprets it in a contemporary key.

You will feel like you are walking inside a pagan temple, but with modern lighting.

If you want to find out more about Mapplethorpe’s life and art before seeing the exhibition, take a look at this in-depth look at Mapplethorpe, Look at the Pictures, the film by Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey released in cinemas in 2016, which describes the human and artistic journey of this incredible photographer.

Why visit the exhibition

If you love art, if you love photography, if you love Venice (or even if you just need some beauty in your life), this exhibition is for you. But if you love exhibitions that are also well curated from a technical point of view, you should know that the special “Antartica” paint is not only beautiful to look at: it is also environmentally friendly, formaldehyde-free, easy to apply, provides good coverage and smells of the future. This, too, in its own way, is a gesture of love for art.

In addition, the same rooms will host another exhibition from 10 April to 10 August 2025: Maurizio Galimberti between Polaroid/Ready Made and Italo Calvino’s American Lessons. Another giant of photography, another visual journey, this time through the endless possibilities of fragments and multiplied visions. Here too, the elegant grey chosen for the walls creates the perfect atmosphere to let yourself be carried away.

Hurry up and book your ticket, because beauty, when it’s there, must be seen in person.

Robert Mapplethorpe. The forms of the classic
The Rooms of Photography
Curated by Denis Curti
Isola di San Giorgio, Venice
From 26 June 2025 to 6 January 2026

Opening hours: Thu – Tue 11am – 7pm | Wed closed