Edward Enninful will curate Robert Mapplethorpe show at Thaddaeus Ropac The show will feature selected prints from the vast archive of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation

Edward Enninful, the outgoing editor of British Vogue and newly appointed global creative and cultural advisor there, will curate a Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition at Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris Marais. This show, on view from March 2nd to April 6th, will feature 46 selected prints from the vast archive of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation.

Enninful’s connection to Mapplethorpe’s work dates back to the early 1990s and was sparked by the photographer’s Black Book—a photographic study of Black men first published in 1986 that was immediately met with controversy. According to the press statement, the Enninful was immediately drawn to Mapplethorpe’s use of light to create sharp contrasts.

Inspired by double-page magazine spreads, the works will be shown in pairs to offer new perspectives on the American photographer’s celebrated work. The exhibition will highlight the interplay of light and shadow, the juxtaposition of different skin tones, and the contrast between clothed and unclothed bodies, among other thematic pairings. One pair juxtaposes Arnold Schwarzenegger’s muscular form with the exaggerated silhouettes of high fashion, illustrating Enninful's keen eye for contrast and thematic resonance.