Robert Mapplethorpe's impact on the world of photography is undeniable. His portraits and scenes chronicling New York City's underground BDSM culture are iconic unto themselves and his legacy is revisited in the upcoming Ondi Timoner-directed and film, Mapplethorpe.
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Starring Matt Smith and produced by Richard J. Bosner and Eliza and Nate Dushku, the film takes place just before Mapplethorpe takes up his residence at the Chelsea Hotel. As he begins to build his portfolio, the photographer also begins to explore his latent, repressed sexual attraction to men.
Following the self-proclaimed "modern Michelangelo" from the early 70s until his untimely death at the age of 42, audiences will see the artist fight for mainstream acknowledgment while he struggles with his sexuality and the menace of the AIDS crisis looms above.
Mapplethorpe has its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22.
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