Robert Mapplethorpe Le forme del desiderio

As the second act of a larger trilogy, Robert Mapplethorpe: Le forme del desiderio arrives at the Palazzo Reale, Milan, following its first act Le forme de classico at Le Stanze della Fotografia, Venice. This exhibition presents a broad and previously unseen selection of Mapplethorpe's most iconic works. Coinciding with the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, the exhibition offers a unique opportunity to encounter the works of one of the most original, refined, and controversial American photographer of the 20th century. 

Curated by Le Stanze della Fotografia’s artistic director, Denis Curti, this retrospective show is organised and promoted by Marsilio Arte and Fondazione Giorgio Cini in collaboration with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation in New York. The final act Robert Mapplethorpe. Le forme della bellezza will later be held at the Museo dell’Ara Pacis in Rome.