Robert Mapplethorpe met Lisa Lyon, the newly crowned winner of the first World Women’s Bodybuilding Championship in 1980. Attracted to her muscular form which reminded Mapplethorpe of Michelangelo’s treatment of the female body, by 1983 he produced a collection of photographs titled “Lady, Lisa Lyon” depicting his model in nude, full-body portraits, character roles and closeups. The series celebrates the ideals of female beauty stemming from Antiquity to Renaissance while simultaneously drawing inspiration from modern photographers such as Man Ray and Frantisek Drtikol which Mapplethorpe admired and collected. 

In 1982 Mapplethorpe was once again selected to participate in “documenta 7” in Kassel alongside young Jean-Michel Basquiat. He chose to exhibit our large “Lisa Lyon” print which was reproduced on a full catalog page and became a critical success. In this tight framing of a flexed arm and a single breast the artist successfully explores the mysteries of female strength and sensuality. A few months after this exhibition famous art dealer Leo Castelli gave Mapplethorpe his first solo show in his renowned gallery.