In Conjunction With Mapplethorpe Exhibit, Singer Patti Smith To Appear At Selby Gardens

SARASOTA, FL — Iconic singer-songwriter and poet Patti Smith will appear at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ downtown Sarasota campus this winter in conjunction with an exhibition highlighting her lyrics and poetry and the work of her friend, Robert Mapplethorpe, one of the most significant photographers of the 20th century.

The exhibition, “Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith: Flowers, Poetry and Light,” will be displayed Feb. 13 through June 26.

Marking the sixth edition of the annual Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Series, which explores the work of major artists through the lens of their connection to nature, this immersive exhibition puts a selection of Mapplethorpe’s photographs of orchids, hyacinths, and irises, and excerpts of Smith’s poems and lyrics on flowers and nature, in dialogue with new horticultural installations inspired by the two artists’ work, the Selby Gardens said in a news release.

The gardens will also host an "Evening with Patti Smith" Feb. 15, which will feature a lecture and a performance by Smith that will shed new light on this body of work.

“Selby Gardens is thrilled to bring together this curated selection of nature-inspired works by Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith for the first time ever in a botanical garden as part of our innovative Goldstein Exhibition Series,” Jennifer Rominiecki, president and CEO of Selby Gardens, said. “Marking the first time that Selby Gardens has presented the work of a living artist and a contemporary photographer in the series, this exhibition creates an immersive experience for our visitors, where our gardens and floral displays set the stage for a unique cultural encounter and exchange with two of the most iconic artists of our time.”

Mapplethorpe and Smith met the day that she moved to New York City in the summer of 1967. Their enduring relationship, through which the two spent time as artistic collaborators, lovers and friends, proved formative to each other’s creative practice and artistic output, the Selby Gardens said.

“Flowers, Poetry and Light” reunites Mapplethorpe and Smith in a garden setting, presenting works by each inspired by nature during the counterculture movements of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

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Selby Gardens’ Conservatory, world renowned for its collection of orchids and bromeliads, will be reimagined as Mapplethorpe’s photography studio, complete with drop cloths and lights that will spotlight and frame living flowers, following the principles of balance and classicism embraced by the photographer.

In the Museum of Botany & the Arts, a curatorial exploration of Mapplethorpe’s aesthetic strategies, influences, and practices will unfold in an exhibition display designed to evoke the artist’s apartment, featuring four iconic flower photographs by Mapplethorpe, from the Graphic Studio gravures including “Orchid, Irises and Hyacinths,” as well as two bust-length photographs of Ken Moody, one of Mapplethorpe’s most photographed subjects, holding an apple and palm frond respectively.

The installation will also include archival photos and period furnishings. Throughout the grounds and gardens, installations of floral displays inspired by these seminal photographs will be accompanied by a poetry walk of works by Smith, excerpting verses from her poems and songs to provide moments of reflection within the garden and underscore the rich symbolism of flowers as the fruits of life, enticement and rebirth.

“Through this unique and immersive installation, visitors will be able to explore Mapplethorpe’s aesthetic strategies for capturing beauty, including his debts to classical sources and the specific ways he uses light, composition, and color in images of flowers,” Dr. Carol Ockman, the exhibition’s curator, said. “These principals of classicism, sensuality, and beauty are echoed from the museum throughout the gardens and conservatory, and are highlighted by the resounding words of Smith, Mapplethorpe’s once lover, close friend and muse.”