Robert Mapplethorpe Retrospective at Ara Pacis Museum in Rome

The Ara Pacis Museum in Rome will host "Robert Mapplethorpe. Le forme della bellezza" from May 29 to October 4, 2026. Curated by Denis Curti, the exhibition features over 200 works, including photographs from Mapplethorpe's stays in Capri and Naples, and two classical sculptures from the Capitoline Museums: a statue of Aphrodite (late 1st century BCE–early 1st century CE) and an athlete statue (1st century CE, derived from a 5th century BCE Greek original). The show is promoted by Roma Capitale, the Assessorato alla Cultura, the Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali, and Marsilio Arte, organized by Zètema Progetto Cultura and Marsilio Arte in collaboration with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. It includes eight sections covering his career from early assemblages to portraits of Patti Smith, Lisa Lyon, Yoko Ono, Robert Rauschenberg, Donald Sutherland, David Byrne, and Richard Gere, as well as floral still lifes and nude studies. The exhibition also highlights Mapplethorpe's connection to gallerist Lucio Amelio and the Terrae Motus project after the 1980 Naples earthquake, involving artists like Andy Warhol, Anselm Kiefer, Jannis Kounellis, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Cy Twombly, and Robert Rauschenberg. Accessibility features include audio guides, the podcast "Mapplethorpe Unframed" by Nicolas Ballario, tactile paths, LIS translations, and subtitled videos, in collaboration with Rai Pubblica Utilità, Museo Tattile Statale Omero, and other partners.