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)
Poppy & Orchid
By Robert Mapplethorpe
Located in New York, NY
Created by Limoges, France, from two original photographs taken by photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe in 1988/89, Poppy & Orchard are a stunning pair of porcelain chargers, each with ...
Porcelain
Silver Dollar
By Robert Mapplethorpe
Located in Greenwich, CT
Silver Dollar is a silver gelatin print on paper by Robert Mapplethorpe, titled, numbered, and dated verso. The print is signed and dated again on the back within his signature stamp...
Paper, Silver Gelatin
$3,800
H 64 in W 48 in D 0.03 in
Flora Italiana ( Papavero Arancio Piene ) - large botanical still life photo
By Linda Rosewall
Located in San Francisco, CA
Original large format still life photograph from Linda Rosewall's botany study series "Flora Italiana", an intensely beautiful body of works exploring t...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
$3,800
H 64 in W 48 in D 0.03 in
Flora Italiana ( Papavero Giallo Fiorito ) - large format botanical still life
By Linda Rosewall
Located in San Francisco, CA
Original large format still life photograph from Linda Rosewall's series "Flora Italiana", an intensively beautiful body of works exploring the botanica...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
$4,400
H 48 in W 71.5 in
Flora ll - large format photograph of abstract floral and liquid cloud explosion
By Christian Stoll
Located in San Francisco, CA
FLORA lI by Christian Stoll from a series of colorful floral explosions, flower power and liquid clouds captured in water 48 x 71.5 inches (122 x 182cm) signed edition of 7 27 x 40...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
$4,400
H 60 in W 48 in D 0.03 in
Star Wars R2-D2 - large format photograph of the original iconic droid robot
By Tom Schierlitz
Located in San Francisco, CA
large scale still life photograph of the original iconic droid robot from the classic Star Wars movies Star Wars (R2-D2) by Tom Schierlitz 60 x 48 inches (152 x 122cm) signed edition of 7 40 x 32 inches (102 x 81cm) signed edition of 25 archival quality fine art pigment print limited art edition published by Edition EKTAlux...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
$4,000
H 48 in W 48 in D 0.03 in
HOPE - 4 conceptual still life photographs spelling motivational word
By Christian Stoll
Located in San Francisco, CA
large scale conceptual environmental still life photographs playing with viewer's perspective creating individual letters from found objects spelling the word HOPE H-O-P-E by Christian Stoll Focusing in on this epic photograph work, you will find yourself lost in the artwork's details. Reminiscent of the appropriation artwork of Vik Muniz, Christian Stoll arranges everyday objects to spell letters of the alphabet. Only at close inspection does the viewer realize he/she is looking at an actual photograph, created in camera rather than with digital manipulation. _________________________ Artwork can be installed vertically or horizontally and across multiple walls 4 individual photographs individual artwork size 24 x 24 inches (61 x 61cm) horizontal artwork...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment
Blue Glove ( Michael Jackson ) 40" x 30"
By Tom Schierlitz
Located in San Francisco, CA
Blue Glove (Michael Jackson) by Tom Schierlitz a highly detailed glamorous still life photograph of the performer's iconic blue and gold sequin and Swarovski rhinestone crystal glove...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment
$250Sale Price|50% Off
H 27.56 in W 27.56 in
Japanese beauty , 70x70cm, print on canvas.Edition 20 pcs.
By Nina Tsoriti
Located in Yerevan, AM
Japanese beauty , 70x70cm, print on canvas.Edition 20 pcs. A different print size can be made upon request.
Canvas, Color
$1,800
H 31 in W 40 in D 0.03 in
Flora Italiana ( Anemone Rosso ) - large format botanical still life photograph
By Linda Rosewall
Located in San Francisco, CA
Original large format still life photograph from Linda Rosewall's series "Flora Italiana", an intensively beautiful body of works exploring the botanica...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Persephone VII ( 24" x 19" )
By Erik Pawassar
Located in San Francisco, CA
Persephone VII by Erik Pawassar 24 x 19 inches (61 x 48cm) edition of 25 signed 40 x 31 inches (102 x 79cm) edition of 25 signed 62 x 48 inches (157 x 122cm) edition of 7...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Pigment, Archival Pigment
$4,400
H 48 in W 66 in
NINE-ONE-ONE (Porsche 911) - large scale studio photograph of crashed automobile
By Frank Schott
Located in San Francisco, CA
9-1-1 (Porsche) by Frank Schott 48 x 66 inches / 122cm x 168cm signed edition of 7 29 x 40 inches / 74cm x 102cm signed edition of 25 archival quality fine art pigment print limit...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
$250Sale Price|50% Off
H 27.56 in W 27.56 in
Still life , 70x70cm, print on canvas.Edition 20 pcs.
By Nina Tsoriti
Located in Yerevan, AM
Still life , 70x70cm, print on canvas Edition 20 pcs. A different print size can be made upon request.
Canvas, Color
$3,800
H 48 in W 72 in
Automobili III (Ferrari) - details at iconic Italian race car performance garage
By Frank Schott
Located in San Francisco, CA
Automobili III by Frank Schott, from a series of environmental still life photographs at a high performance race car body shop 48 x 72inches / 122cm x 183cm signed edition of 7 27 ...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment