Nearly complete Mapplethorpe photo archive coming to LA

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Getty, and a wealthy record executive announced on Monday that a nearly complete archive of photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe is coming to LA.

Mapplethorpe is the most controversial American photographer of the late 20th century. He photographed celebrities, flowers, nudes and himself. He created images of muscular African American and Caucasian nudes with a level of craft that pushed the black and white photos into the realm of fine art. These and images of his gay and transvestite friends in New York turned Mapplethorpe into a lightning rod of conservative attacks during the 1980s. Mapplethorpe died of AIDS-related complications in 1989.

With contributions from LA billionaire David Geffen, the L.A. County Museum of Art and the Getty partnered to purchase prints from New York City’s Mapplethorpe Foundation. That foundation also donated some of the 2,000 photos to the museums. The acquisition also includes many one-of-a-kind items such as drawings, correspondence, 120,000 negatives “and the richest and most extensive documentation of his career, including personal correspondence with significant cultural figures of the period,” according to a news release.

"Mapplethorpe is key to any history of American photography," said David Bomford, director of the Getty Museum.

Officials wouldn’t reveal the total cost. The president of the Mapplethorpe Foundation said it’s valued at more than $30 million. LACMA and Getty leaders say the acquisition makes their museums a national study center for Mapplethorpe’s work. The acquisition also marks the first secured jointly by LACMA and the Getty.

The museums are working on plans to show the Mapplethorpe photographs and other items.