Robert Mapplethorpe
Robert Mapplethorpe
Robert Mapplethorpewas an American photographer, known for his sensitive yet blunt treatment of controversial subject-matter in the large-scale, highly stylized 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 underground BDSM scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s of New York. The homoeroticism of this work fuelled a national debate over the public funding...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPhotographer
Date of Birth4 November 1946
CountryUnited States of America
I don't think any collector knows his true motivation.
My father wants me to be like my brother, but I can't be.
I became the toast of London. A lot of people I met came from these really decadent families where the married men were gay and no one thought anything about it.
I can't have just anybody assisting me, I need somebody who I can really communicate with.
I just try to live my life and do my thing.
My lifestyle is bizarre, but the only thing you need to know is where the darkroom is
I've never lied. I think I've lived a moral life
I wish I could be elegant.
I don't think that there's that much difference between a photograph of a fist up someone's ass and a photograph of carnations in a bowl.
I think that it was a great advantage to go into photography not knowing much about it. Not thinking. I think one of the problems with many photographers today is that they never see for themselves, but just like everybody else...
People have done pornographic pictures forever, but most of the people who involve themselves in explicit sexuality aren't really artists.
Whether it's an orgy or a cocktail party, I know how to do it.
The best picture I got was Bianca Jagger whispering in Mick's ear. I caught them telling a secret, which is sort of rude.
I'm looking for the unexpected. I'm looking for things I've never seen before.