{"data":{"id":"3544","type":"artist","attributes":{"id":3544,"topgoose_id":1314,"tms_id":3544,"display_name":"Robert Mapplethorpe","sort_name":"Mapplethorpe Robert","display_date":"1946–1989","begin_date":"1946","end_date":"1989","biography":"\u003cp\u003eHaving studied a variety of fine-art\nmediums at the Pratt Institute, Robert\nMapplethorpe turned to photography in the\nearly 1970s. He first used a Polaroid\nand then various medium- and large-format\ncameras, working predominantly in\nblack and white. His subjects comprised\nnudes, still lifes, and portraits—of himself\nand of friends, lovers, and fellow artists.\n\u003ca href=\"/collection/works/10052\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ePatti Smith\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e pictures the musician and\nartist with whom Mapplethorpe shared a\nclose relationship for many years (an\nearlier image he made of Smith graced the\ncover of her 1975 debut album, \u003cem\u003eHorses\u003c/em\u003e).\nThe portrait conveys an unguarded,\nfrank intimacy: Smith, with her androgynous\nbeauty, stares at the camera, covering\nher naked torso with a sheet as if\nshe has been caught unawares. Other\nsigns, however, suggest that this image\nwas deliberately arranged: the curled\nneck brace Smith holds (remnant of\nan injury) echoes the shape of her head,\nand her bent elbows create a carefully\ncomposed visual rhythm.\n\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMapplethorpe’s work was marked\nby rigorous attention to the principles of\nclassical composition, and his coolly elegant\nimages were deftly staged and carefully\nprinted. If some of his motifs—most notably,\nhis still lifes of flowers—had long pedigrees\nin the history of art, others marked his\nwork as pioneering. His photographs of\nsadomasochistic acts became a lightning\nrod for controversies about public arts\nfunding in the 1980s. One of Mapplethorpe’s\nabiding concerns was the idea of gender\nand sexuality as social constructs, a theme\nhe explored not only in portraits of members\nof the S \u0026amp; M scene but also in self-portraits\nin which he assumed various personas.\n\u003ca href=\"/collection/works/16880\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eSelf Portrait\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eshows the artist in drag, wearing\nmakeup and a boa. As in the photograph\nof Smith, Mapplethorpe’s expression is at\nonce confrontational and indecipherable,\nhinting at private narratives.\u003c/p\u003e","on_view":false,"artport":false,"biennial":true,"collection":true,"ulan_id":"500090430","wikidata_id":"Q312786","created_at":"2017-08-30T16:17:55.000-04:00","updated_at":"2026-04-11T07:01:59.435-04:00","links":{"artworks":"/api/artists/3544/artworks","exhibitions":"/api/artists/3544/exhibitions"}}}}