Mapplethorpe

This major, long out-of-print survey, widely regarded as the definitive overview of Mapplethorpe's black-and-white photography, is once again available in a new, updated edition. It presents a comprehensive selection of Mapplethorpe's nudes, portraits, self-portraits, floral still lifes and other works, including his best known and most controversial images. Mapplethorpe's choices were both innovative and bold, and his work has continued to resonate since his early death in 1989. His cutting-edge use of homoerotic and other challenging themes has become embedded in our culture, with pervasive echoes not only in the work of other artists but in mainstream advertising as well.

Robert Mapplethorpe was born in 1946 and was raised in Long Island, New York. He received a B.F.A. from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. By the early 1980s, he challenged the definition of photography with new techniques and formats. Mapplethorpe continued to create powerful images until his death from AIDS in 1989.