ALTARS.

by Robert Mapplethorpe

This defintive, full-color reflection of Mapplethorpe's geometric formality and underlying religiosity provides an insight into the art and career of the artist that previous black-and-white volumes cannot. An accompanying essay by Esmund White puts Mapplethorpe into historical, social, sexual, and artistic context. 100 color and duotone plates. 3 gatefolds. Slipcased.

Genres: Photography, Art

Hardcover

About the author

Robert Mapplethorpe was an American photographer whose mastery of black-and-white composition and provocative subject matter made him a central, often polarizing, figure in 20th-century art. Born in Queens, New York, and raised in a strict Catholic household, he studied graphic arts at the Pratt Institute before immersing himself in the vibrant 1960s Manhattan art scene. During this time, he began a lifelong creative partnership and friendship with musician Patti Smith, an association that would prove foundational to both of their careers.
Mapplethorpe’s early work utilized Polaroid photography, but his practice evolved significantly after meeting curator and mentor Sam Wagstaff in 1972. By the mid-1970s, he had adopted the Hasselblad medium-format camera, using its precision to explore subjects ranging from statuesque nudes and delicate still-life flowers—most notably orchids and calla lilies—to formal portraits of celebrities like Andy Warhol and Debbie Harry. However, he is perhaps most famous for his unflinching documentation of New York’s gay BDSM subculture. His work in this area sought to imbue the erotic with the grandeur and nobility of classical sculpture, often utilizing highly formal, statuesque compositions that referenced religious and Renaissance imagery.
Posthumously, Mapplethorpe became a catalyst for the American "culture wars." His 1989 traveling exhibition, The Perfect Moment, sparked a fierce national debate over public funding for the arts and the constitutional limits of free speech. The controversy led to the Corcoran Gallery of Art canceling the show and resulted in an obscenity trial for the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, though the museum was eventually acquitted.
Mapplethorpe died at age 42 from complications related to HIV/AIDS. Before his passing, he established the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation to protect his legacy and fund medical research for HIV/AIDS treatment. Today, his work is held in major institutional collections, including the Guggenheim and the Getty Museum, where it continues to be celebrated for its technical perfection and its bold exploration of the human form and sexual identity.

Reviews

[David Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Altars is a companion volume to Mapplethorpe, a collection of black and white prints by controversial photographer Mapplethorpe. Though it is described on the inside covers as a "full-color" work, it actually reproduces both black and white and color photos and collages, the earliest dating to 1970 and the latest to 1987. The subject matter of the photos includes celebrities or famous figures such as Patti Smith, Andy Warhol, David Hockney, and William Burroughs; flowers; sculptures and busts; and naked and semi-naked black men. Only a few of the photos depict sexual activity.

Given his reputation as a gay photographer, Mapplethorpe's interest in female nudes may come as a surprise to some people; his photos of Lisa Lyon and Lydia Cheng are the most striking of his nude subjects, and to me personally they are more interesting than most of the male nudes. Overall, though it obviously will not appeal to everyone, Altars is an impressive selection of the work of an important artist. The book concludes with an essay by Edmund White, discussing Mapplethorpe's life and work, and addressing questions such as whether his photos of black men are racist.

[ツツ]

I’ve never seen vulva with pubic hair. Only now that I realise this is the first time I’ve seen vulva with full pubic hair, even it’s far away and small and unable to make out the details.

[Digi M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book can be quite explicit at times. I’m amazed how he makes flowers look good, with lighting, positioning, etc. this is not a subject matter i would generally like, but somehow it is intriguing.

I deduct a mark because some of his later work has this 80’s ghastly glare, that does not do it for me.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essay by Edmund White