The photographer Robert Mapplethorpe wanted to be more than just a photographer. He wanted to be a modern master. A new film offers a portrait of the artist who, at the height of his craft, flirted with self-destruction.
Monday, we’re talking about the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Thirty years after his death, his work continues to challenge and inspire. He wanted, he said, not simply to be “Mapplethorpe the photographer.” He wanted to be “a modern Michelangelo.” A new film by the director Ondi Timoner offers a portrait of the artist who, at the height of his craft, flirted continuously with self-destruction. Timoner joins us to talk about it.
Ondi Timoner is a documentary filmmaker and the director the films Dig, We Live in Public, and Brand: A Second Coming. Her first scripted feature film is called Mapplethorpe.
On Tuesday, October 16, at 7 p.m., the Utah Film Center is screening Mapplethorpe at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Theatre in downtown Salt Lake City. Timoner will be there for a Q&A after the film. DETAILS
And on Monday, October 15, at 7 p.m., Timoner will join filmmaker Madeleine Olnek for a Q&A about the challenges a biopic movie. Olnek is the director of the feature film Wild Nights with Emily, which we're showing that evening as part of our Through the Lens series, our partnership with the Film Center. DETAILS
