Robert Mapplethorpe

Robert Mapplethorpe (1946–1989) was a New York photographer whose work combined formal precision with subjects including sexuality, celebrity and the body. After studying at Pratt Institute and making mixed-media collages, he began taking Polaroids and later worked with a Hasselblad camera.

His photographs ranged from flowers and studio portraits to nudes and New York’s S&M scene. He made album covers for Patti Smith and Television and collaborated extensively with bodybuilder Lisa Lyon. In 1988 he established a foundation supporting photography and HIV/AIDS research.