A new trailer offers a first look at HBO’s Robert Mapplethorpe documentary

HBO has released the first trailer for its upcoming documentary about photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures will be the first feature-length film to chronicle the life and work of the late American artist and photographer using archive footage as well as interviews with close friends and colleagues.

Famous for his often controversial photographs, which depicted everything from flowers to fetishism, Mapplethorpe tested the limits of both photography and fine art. “I always was fascinated by the idea of taking sexuality and bringing it to a level it hadn’t been to before,” his voice is heard in the trailer.

Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures debuts in conjunction with major retrospectives at LACMA and the Getty Museum, both opening this month, and premieres April 4 on HBO.