THE Bowes Museum is the latest provincial institution to join the Artist Rooms programme which brings modern and contemporary art owned by the Tate and National Galleries of Scotland to audiences nationwide.

A new exhibition, which opens on November 28, will present images by the renowned American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-89), whose provocative and powerful body of work established him as one of the most important artists of the late 20th century.

His black and white photographs are remarkable as much for technical virtuosity as for their sometimes controversial subject matter. His work has often been described as a unique combination of beauty and salaciousness.

The show will reference works in the museum's permanent collection to highlight connections between photographic art and painted portraits.

There will also be events linked to the exhibition to create greater appreciation and understanding of Mapplethorpe’s work.

Mapplethorpe established his reputation in the 1970s and 1980s with photographic portraits of friends and contemporaries from the New York cultural scene – artists, musicians, socialites and members of the New York underground.

The exhibition concentrates on musicians, artists and classical poses and feature influential figures including Iggy Pop, Andy Warhol, David Hockney and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as the photographer's close companion, singer and poet, Patti Smith.

The show will open a dialogue between Mapplethorpe's work and the contemporary fascination with celebrity culture and between ideas about sense of self and the powers of advertising and self-promotion through imagery.

Mapplethorpe's subject matter and themes ranged from intimate self-portraits and studio portraits of artists and celebrities to studies of the human figure and beautifully composed still lifes that sought perfection in form while challenging and adhering to classical aesthetic standards.

The works are part of the collection of modern and contemporary art which the Tate and National Galleries of Scotland acquired in 2008 through the generosity of the collector and benefactor Anthony d'Offay, with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Art Fund and the Scottish and British governments.

Now in its seventh year, the Artist Rooms programme is showing at 17 museums and galleries across the UK in 2015. It is the first time the Bowes Museum has been involved.

D’Offaywas especially keen to inspire creativity in young people, and the museum is collaborating with Edinburgh University and Artist Rooms on a research project exploring methods of visitor evaluation.

The Artcasting project will run a trial as part of the Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition with a particular focus on recording the experiences of young visitors and their reactions to the works. Entry will be free to under-25s who register online at thebowesmuseum.org.uk.

The exhibition will run until April 24.