Cross, 1986

At the center of the edition Cross, Robert Mapplethorpe’s contribution to the group portfolio honoring the late Joseph Beuys, is a close-up photograph of a human torso, with the navel – a point of origin and connection – positioned precisely at the intersection of a bold, gold cross. As the literal and symbolic center of the body, the navel becomes the focal point of the composition, which reflects the formal precision and symmetry characteristic of Mapplethorpe’s meticulous aesthetic. The cross itself serves as a poignant reference both to Beuys’ passing and to the latter's own frequent use of the cross motif throughout his oeuvre, where it functioned as a charged emblem of myth, healing, transformation, and spiritual inquiry.