Robert Mapplethorpe in a group show at the Victoria & Albert Museum Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish

Robert Mapplethorpe's photographs are appearing in the exhibition Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, that showcases over 300 rare prints from the 20th- and 21st-century on loan from the private collections of Sir Elton John and David Furnish. The photographs (many of which will be on public display for the first time) are era-defining images which explore the connection between strength and vulnerability inherent in the human condition.

In addition to Robert Mapplethorpe's photographs, other celebrated works include a monumental installation of 149 Nan Goldin prints from her Thanksgiving series, and images from Cindy Sherman, William Eggleston, Diane Arbus, Sally Mann, Zanele Muholi, Ai Weiwei, Carrie Mae Weems and others. The exhibition covers the period from 1950 to the present day, bringing together an unrivalled selection of the world's leading photographers to tell the story of modern and contemporary photography.