Robert Mapplethorpe was born on November 4, 1946, in Floral Park, New York. He left home in 1962 and enrolled at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, in 1963, where he studied painting and sculpture and received his BFA in 1970. During this time, he met artist, poet, and musician Patti Smith. She encouraged his work and posed for numerous portraits when they lived together in Brooklyn and in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan, a gathering place for artists, writers, and musicians in the early 1970s.
It was not Mapplethorpe’s original intention to be a photographer, and from 1970 to 1974, he mainly made assemblage constructions that incorporate images of men from pornographic magazines with found objects and painting. In order to create his own images for these collages, Mapplethorpe turned to photography, initially using a Polaroid SX-70 camera. Interested in portraiture, Mapplethorpe worked as a staff photographer for Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine. He also produced album covers for Smith and the group Television, and at the same time photographed socialites and celebrities such as John Paul Getty III and Carolina Herrera.
Mapplethorpe had his first substantial shows in 1977, both in New York: an exhibition of photographs of flowers at the Holly Solomon Gallery and one of male nudes and sadomasochistic imagery at the Kitchen. Mapplethorpe’s diverse work — homoerotic images, floral still lifes, pictures of children, commissioned portraits, mixed-media sculpture — is united by the constancy of his approach and technique. The surfaces of his prints offer a seemingly endless gradation of blacks and whites, shadow and light, and regardless of subject, his images are both elegant and provocative. In the mid-to-late 1980s, returning to the sculptural use of photography seen in his early assemblages, Mapplethorpe created sensual diptychs and triptychs of photographs printed on fabric and luxurious cloth panels.
In 1988, four major exhibitions of Mapplethorpe’s work were organized: by the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; and the National Portrait Gallery, London. Mapplethorpe died due to complications from AIDS on March 9, 1989, in Boston.
Find original Robert Mapplethorpe photography on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by Cerbera Gallery)
Untitled
By Robert Mapplethorpe
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Robert Mapplethorpe's (1946-1989) place in the canon was earned from his incredible output of images that ranged from beautiful to brutal. Though known for his unrivalled output in...
Found Objects, Pencil, Color Pencil
$495
H 19.69 in W 13 in D 0.08 in
"365 Vessels", Mixed technique on tissue white paper, Minimalist, 50 x 33 cm
By Peter Kramer
Located in Carballo, ES
This series of works by the Danish artist Peter Kramer (Roskilde, 1959) with numerous exhibitions between Spain and Denmark are entitled "365 urns", in which the artist works with ti...
Organic Material, Adhesive, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Handmade Paper, T...
$494
H 19.69 in W 13 in D 0.08 in
"365 Vessels", Mixed technique on tissue white paper, Minimalist, 50 x 33 cm
By Peter Kramer
Located in Carballo, ES
This series of works by the Danish artist Peter Kramer (Roskilde, 1959) with numerous exhibitions between Spain and Denmark are entitled "365 urns", in which the artist works with ti...
Organic Material, Adhesive, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Handmade Paper, T...
$495
H 19.69 in W 13 in D 0.08 in
"365 Vessels", Mixed technique on tissue white paper, Minimalist, 50 x 33 cm
By Peter Kramer
Located in Carballo, ES
This series of works by the Danish artist Peter Kramer (Roskilde, 1959) with numerous exhibitions between Spain and Denmark are entitled "365 urns", in which the artist works with ti...
Organic Material, Adhesive, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Handmade Paper, T...
$495
H 19.69 in W 13 in D 0.08 in
"365 Vessels", Mixed technique on tissue white paper, Minimalist, 50 x 33 cm
By Peter Kramer
Located in Carballo, ES
This series of works by the Danish artist Peter Kramer (Roskilde, 1959) with numerous exhibitions between Spain and Denmark are entitled "365 urns", in which the artist works with ti...
Organic Material, Adhesive, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Handmade Paper, T...
$380
H 12 in W 7 in
"Infinite Purpose: Rainbow" Found Artist Materials in Wall-Mounted Sculpture
By Kelly Kozma
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This sculpture titled "Infinite Purpose: Rainbow" is an original artwork by Kelly Kozma made of retired colored pencils & acrylic on panel. The piece measures 12”h x 7”w. Kelly ...
Wood, Found Objects, Acrylic, Color Pencil
$495
H 19.69 in W 13 in D 0.08 in
"365 Vessels", Mixed technique on tissue white paper, Minimalist, 50 x 33 cm
By Peter Kramer
Located in Carballo, ES
This series of works by the Danish artist Peter Kramer (Roskilde, 1959) with numerous exhibitions between Spain and Denmark are entitled "365 urns", in which the artist works with ti...
Organic Material, Adhesive, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Handmade Paper, T...
$494
H 19.69 in W 13 in D 0.08 in
"365 Vessels", Mixed technique on tissue white paper, Minimalist, 50 x 33 cm
By Peter Kramer
Located in Carballo, ES
This series of works by the Danish artist Peter Kramer (Roskilde, 1959) with numerous exhibitions between Spain and Denmark are entitled "365 urns", in which the artist works with ti...
Organic Material, Adhesive, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Handmade Paper, T...
$495
H 19.69 in W 13 in D 0.08 in
"365 Vessels", Mixed technique on tissue white paper, Minimalist, 50 x 33 cm
By Peter Kramer
Located in Carballo, ES
This series of works by the Danish artist Peter Kramer (Roskilde, 1959) with numerous exhibitions between Spain and Denmark are entitled "365 urns", in which the artist works with ti...
Organic Material, Adhesive, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Handmade Paper, T...
$495
H 19.69 in W 13 in D 0.08 in
"365 Vessels", Mixed technique on tissue white paper, Minimalist, 50 x 33 cm
By Peter Kramer
Located in Carballo, ES
This series of works by the Danish artist Peter Kramer (Roskilde, 1959) with numerous exhibitions between Spain and Denmark are entitled "365 urns", in which the artist works with ti...
Organic Material, Adhesive, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Handmade Paper, T...
$495
H 19.69 in W 13 in D 0.08 in
"365 Vessels", Mixed technique on tissue white paper, Minimalist, 50 x 33 cm
By Peter Kramer
Located in Carballo, ES
This series of works by the Danish artist Peter Kramer (Roskilde, 1959) with numerous exhibitions between Spain and Denmark are entitled "365 urns", in which the artist works with ti...
Organic Material, Adhesive, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Handmade Paper, T...
$495
H 19.69 in W 13 in D 0.08 in
"365 Vessels", Mixed technique on tissue white paper, Minimalist, 50 x 33 cm
By Peter Kramer
Located in Carballo, ES
This series of works by the Danish artist Peter Kramer (Roskilde, 1959) with numerous exhibitions between Spain and Denmark are entitled "365 urns", in which the artist works with ti...
Organic Material, Adhesive, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Handmade Paper, T...
$495
H 19.69 in W 13 in D 0.08 in
"365 Vessels", Mixed technique on tissue white paper, Minimalist, 50 x 33 cm
By Peter Kramer
Located in Carballo, ES
This series of works by the Danish artist Peter Kramer (Roskilde, 1959) with numerous exhibitions between Spain and Denmark are entitled "365 urns", in which the artist works with ti...
Organic Material, Adhesive, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Handmade Paper, T...
Sold
H 12 in W 12 in
Patti Smith Horses vinyl 1st Pressing (Robert Mapplethorpe Patti Smith)
By Robert Mapplethorpe
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Patti Smith Horses Vinyl Record Album, 1975: US 1st Pressing featuring original photography by Robert Mapplethorpe. Produced by John Cale. Cover: Very Good to overall vintage condit...
Offset
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H 12 in W 12 in
Patti Smith Horses vinyl 1st Pressing (Robert Mapplethorpe Patti Smith)
By Robert Mapplethorpe
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Patti Smith Horses Vinyl Record Album, 1975: US 1st Pressing featuring original photography by Robert Mapplethorpe. Produced by John Cale. Cover: Very Good to overall vintage condit...
Offset
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H 12 in W 12 in
Patti Smith Horses vinyl 1st Pressing (Robert Mapplethorpe Patti Smith)
By Robert Mapplethorpe
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Patti Smith Horses Vinyl Record Album, 1975: US 1st Pressing featuring original photography by Robert Mapplethorpe. Produced by John Cale. Cover: Very Good to Excellent overall vint...
Offset
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H 12 in W 12 in
Patti Smith Horses vinyl 1st Pressing (Robert Mapplethorpe Patti Smith)
By Robert Mapplethorpe
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Patti Smith Horses Vinyl Record Album, 1975: US 1st Pressing featuring original photography by Robert Mapplethorpe. Produced by John Cale. Cover: Very good overall vintage condition...
Mixed Media
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H 12 in W 12 in
Patti Smith Horses vinyl 1st Pressing (Robert Mapplethorpe Patti Smith)
By Robert Mapplethorpe
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Patti Smith Horses Vinyl Record Album, 1975: US 1st Pressing featuring original photography by Robert Mapplethorpe. Produced by John Cale. Cover: Excellent overall vintage condition...
Offset
Sold
H 12 in W 12 in
Patti Smith Horses vinyl 1st Pressing (Robert Mapplethorpe Patti Smith)
By Robert Mapplethorpe
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Patti Smith Horses Vinyl Record Album, 1975: US 1st Pressing featuring original photography by Robert Mapplethorpe. Produced by John Cale. Cover: Excellent overall vintage condition...
Offset