Pictures

by Robert Mapplethorpe

One of the most important artists to emerge in the last quarter century was Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989), whose bold photographs left a strong impression on society and culture. Known primarily for his refined aesthetic, Mapplethorpe created classical portraits, nudes, and still lifes that helped redefine photography as an art form at a time when the medium was floundering. Mapplethorpe's controversial sex pictures -- blunt images of sadomasochism and live "play" -- were simultaneously condemned and revered during Mapplethorpe's life, and later became the center of debate over public funding for the arts, censorship, and the First Amendment.Pictures., a book created in collaboration with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, presents for the first time the full range of these sexual images, which many critics believe to be the artist's most inspired work. This book is a tribute to Robert Mapplethorpe's daring vision and his enduring legacy. Edited and designed by Dimitri Levas, with text by Ingrid Sischy, Pictures. dispenses with the intellectual, political, and religious rhetoric surrounding earlier debates, allowing the photographs to speak on their own terms.

Genres: Art, Photography

220 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1999

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.