Robert Mapplethorpe
- Introduction
- Robert Michael Mapplethorpe (; November 4, 1946 – March 9, 1989) was an American photographer, best known for his black-and-white photographs. His work featured an array of subjects, including celebrity portraits, male and female nudes, self-portraits, and still-life images. His most controversial works documented and examined the gay male BDSM subculture of New York City in the late 1960s and early 1970s. A 1989 exhibition of Mapplethorpe's work, titled Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Moment, sparked a debate in the United States concerning both use of public funds for "obscene" artwork and the Constitutional limits of free speech in the United States.
- Wikidata
- Q312786
- Introduction
- Mapplethorpe studied painting at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where he met singer/poet Patti Smith in 1968, whom he later photographed for her album covers. His initial interest in photography took the form of collages from photographs he found, but in 1972 he began to take pictures with a Polaroid camera. His images are classical and formal in appearance, his favorites subjects being male nudes, flowers, and still lifes. His homoerotic images became the subject of a much publicized obscenity charge in 1990 involving the Cincinnati Art Museum. Mapplethorpe also did a series of self-portraits toward the end of his life, documenting his deteriorating health from AIDS.
- Nationality
- American
- Gender
- Male
- Roles
- Artist, Collagist, Multimedia Artist, Photographer, Sculptor
- Names
- Robert Mapplethorpe, Bob Mapplethorpe, Robert Maplethorpe
- Ulan
- 500090430
Exhibitions
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Studio Visit: Selected Gifts from Agnes Gund
Apr 29–Jul 22, 2018
MoMA
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Making Music Modern: Design for Ear and Eye
Nov 15, 2014–Jan 18, 2016
MoMA
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A World of Its Own: Photographic Practices in the Studio
Feb 8–Nov 2, 2014
MoMA
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Designing Modern Women 1890–1990
Oct 5, 2013–Oct 19, 2014
MoMA
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Crafting Genre: Kathryn Bigelow
May 18–Oct 3, 2011
MoMA
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Robert Mapplethorpe has
22 exhibitionsonline.
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Robert Mapplethorpe Triptych: Self-Portrait 1972
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Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled (Bidet) 1973
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Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled (Champagne bottle) 1974
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Bob Heimall, Robert Mapplethorpe Patti Smith, Horses (Poster for album distributed by Arista Records, New York) 1975
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Robert Mapplethorpe, Bob Heimall, Arista Records Album cover for Patti Smith, Horses 1975
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Robert Mapplethorpe Arm (Self-Portrait) 1976
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Robert Mapplethorpe Arnold Schwartzenegger 1976
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Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled c. 1972
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Robert Mapplethorpe Jim, Sausalito 1977
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Robert Mapplethorpe Patti Smith c. 1973
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Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled (Vacuum) c. 1973
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Robert Mapplethorpe Patti Smith 1978
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Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled (Peter Berlin) c. 1974
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Robert Mapplethorpe Dominick and Elliot 1979
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Robert Mapplethorpe Sam Wagstaff 1979
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Robert Mapplethorpe Bob Love 1979
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Robert Mapplethorpe Larry and Bobby Kissing 1979
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Robert Mapplethorpe Phillip 1979
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Robert Mapplethorpe Self-Portrait 1980
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Robert Mapplethorpe Self-Portrait 1980
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Robert Mapplethorpe Alistair Butler 1980
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Robert Mapplethorpe Leather Crotch 1980
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Robert Mapplethorpe Lisa Lyon 1980
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Robert Mapplethorpe Ajitto 1981
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Robert Mapplethorpe Derrick Cross 1982
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Robert Mapplethorpe Horse 1982
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Robert Mapplethorpe White Orchid 1982
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Robert Mapplethorpe Ken Moody 1983
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Robert Mapplethorpe Melia Marden 1983
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Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled from the Ken Moody Portfolio 1985
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Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled from the Ken Moody Portfolio 1985
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Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled from the Ken Moody Portfolio 1985
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Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled from the Ken Moody Portfolio 1985
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Markus Raetz, Robert Mapplethorpe, Various Artists Parkett no. 8 1986
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Robert Mapplethorpe Melody/Shoe 1987
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Robert Mapplethorpe Hermes 1988
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Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled from America 1988
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Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled from America 1988
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Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled from America 1988
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Robert Mapplethorpe Self-Portrait 1988
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Robert Mapplethorpe Little Apollo c. 1988
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