Robert Mapplethorpe
- Introduction
- Robert Michael Mapplethorpe (; November 4, 1946 – March 9, 1989) was an American photographer, known for his sensitive yet blunt treatment of controversial subject-matter in the black and white medium of photography. His work featured an array of subjects, including celebrity portraits, male and female nudes, self-portraits and still-life images of flowers. His most controversial work is that of the BDSM subculture in the late 1960s and early 1970s of New York City. The homoeroticism of this work fueled a national debate over the public funding of controversial artwork.
- 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
-
Studio Visit: Selected Gifts from Agnes Gund
April 29–
July 22, 2018 MoMA
-
Making Music Modern: Design for Ear and Eye
November 15, 2014–
January 18, 2016 MoMA
-
A World of Its Own: Photographic Practices in the Studio
February 8–
November 2, 2014 MoMA
-
Designing Modern Women 1890–1990
October 5, 2013–
October 19, 2014 MoMA
-
Crafting Genre: Kathryn Bigelow
May 18–
October 3, 2011 MoMA
-
Robert Mapplethorpe has 22 exhibitionsonline.
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Triptych: Self-Portrait 1972
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled (Bidet) 1973
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled (Champagne bottle) 1974
-
Bob Heimall, Robert Mapplethorpe Patti Smith, Horses (Poster for album distributed by Arista Records, New York) 1975
-
Robert Mapplethorpe, Bob Heimall, Arista Records Album cover for Patti Smith, Horses 1975
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Arm (Self-Portrait) 1976
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Arnold Schwartzenegger 1976
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled c. 1972
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Jim, Sausalito 1977
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Patti Smith c. 1973
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled (Vacuum) c. 1973
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Patti Smith 1978
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled (Peter Berlin) c. 1974
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Dominick and Elliot 1979
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Sam Wagstaff 1979
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Bob Love 1979
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Larry and Bobby Kissing 1979
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Phillip 1979
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Self-Portrait 1980
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Self-Portrait 1980
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Alistair Butler 1980
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Leather Crotch 1980
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Lisa Lyon 1980
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Ajitto 1981
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Derrick Cross 1982
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Horse 1982
-
Robert Mapplethorpe White Orchid 1982
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Ken Moody 1983
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Melia Marden 1983
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled from the Ken Moody Portfolio 1985
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled from the Ken Moody Portfolio 1985
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled from the Ken Moody Portfolio 1985
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled from the Ken Moody Portfolio 1985
-
Various Artists, Markus Raetz, Robert Mapplethorpe Parkett no. 8 1986
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Melody/Shoe 1987
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Hermes 1988
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled from America 1988
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled from America 1988
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Untitled from America 1988
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Self-Portrait 1988
-
Robert Mapplethorpe Little Apollo c. 1988
If you would like to reproduce an image of a work of art in MoMA's collection, or an image of a MoMA publication or archival material (including installation views, checklists, and press releases), please contact Art Resource (publication in North America) or Scala Archives (publication in all other geographic locations).
All requests to license audio or video footage produced by MoMA should be addressed to Scala Archives at firenze@scalarchives.com. Motion picture film stills or motion picture footage from films in MoMA's Film Collection cannot be licensed by MoMA/Scala. For licensing motion picture film footage it is advised to apply directly to the copyright holders. For access to motion picture film stills please contact the Film Study Center. More information is also available about the film collection and the Circulating Film and Video Library.
If you would like to reproduce text from a MoMA publication or moma.org, please email text_permissions@moma.org. If you would like to publish text from MoMA's archival materials, please fill out this permission form and send to archives@moma.org.