Mapplethorpe-Rodin at the Musée Rodin, Paris

What does the 20th-century, gay, New York City-based photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe, have in common with Auguste Rodin, the 19th-century French sculptor and Lothario? Not much, on the surface. Except that when you visit this exhibition it seems as if they both had laboured all their lives to put on this show together.

Mapplethorpe’s work in black and white, with its focus on the male body, echoes in a striking visual dialogue the forms in bronze, gypsum and marble of Rodin’s figures. One with men, the other with women, both obsessed with the sensual human form and the distillation of desire. The impeccable light and attention to detail in Mapplethorpe’s work gives his photos a sculptural quality, and Rodin’s freedom with unfinished detail brings his sculptures just a shade away from breathing.

The watery sunlight filtering through the heavy glass panels of the ‘chapel’ that houses this event, featuring 102 Mapplethorpe images and 50 Rodin sculptures, increases the feeling of intimacy, and their transparency enhances the visual link between the paired sculptures and photographs.

Tip: Some of the items on display may not prove suitable for a younger audience.

Mapplethorpe-Rodin at Musée Rodin, Until September 21, 2014. 79 rue de Varenne, Paris 7th. Métro: Invalides. Open daily 10am-5.45pm. Wednesdays until 8.45pm. Closed Mondays. Entry is €9. Tel: +33 1 44 18 61 10

From France Today Magazine