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Robert Mapplethorpe
American • 1946-1989
Biography
After studying drawing, painting and sculpture at the Pratt Institute in the 1960s, Robert Mapplethorpe began experimenting with photography while living in the notorious Chelsea Hotel with Patti Smith. Beginning with Polaroids, he soon moved on to a Hasselblad medium-format camera, which he used to explore aspects of life often only seen behind closed doors.
By the 1980s Mapplethorpe's focus was predominantly in the studio, shooting portraits, flowers and nudes. His depiction of the human form in formal compositions reflects his love of classical sculpture and his groundbreaking marriage of those aesthetics with often challenging subject matter. Mapplethorpe's style is present regardless of subject matter — from erotic nudes to self-portraits and flowers — as he ceaselessly strove for what he called "perfection of form."
Insights
Phillips set the highest price for a self-portrait by Robert Mapplethorpe in 2015 with Self Portrait, 1980, selling for $148,410.
Phillips sponsored the Los Angeles County Museum's landmark 2016 exhibition Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Medium, which also had a complementary presentation at the J. Paul Getty Museum.
The X, Y and Z Portfolios (1978, 1978 and 1981, respectively) frame Mapplethorpe's artistic oeuvre: X his sadomasochistic imagery, Y floral still lifes and Z nude portraits of African-American men.
The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, set up the year before his death, has raised and donated millions of dollars to fund medical research in the fight against AIDS and HIV infection.
"I am obsessed with beauty. I want everything to be perfect, and of course it isn't. And that's a tough place to be because you're never satisfied."
Recent Robert Mapplethorpe headlines, Powered by Articker
9 May 2023 | FAD Magazine
Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Robert Mapplethorpe, Helmut Newton, and Mario Testino, Among Others in Phillips auction.14 April 2023 | The Art Newspaper
‘Warhol wanted Robert Mapplethorpe’—photographer of famous boxing shoot with Jean-Michel Basquiat on how it came to be21 February 2023 | Antiques & The Arts
Showstopping Mapplethorpe ‘Orchid’ Photogravure Strong At Burchard Galleries8 February 2023 | The Guardian
Donatello review – the Robert Mapplethorpe of the Renaissance7 November 2022 | Homepage | The Stanford Daily
Robert Mapplethorpe: Images and the limits of sexual imagination
Past Lots
132
Robert Mapplethorpe
Lisa Marie / Breasts
Estimate £20,000 - 30,000
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133
Robert Mapplethorpe
Lisa Lyon
Estimate £10,000 - 15,000
Sold for £20,320
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134
Robert Mapplethorpe
Lisa Lyon
Estimate £10,000 - 15,000
Sold for £12,065
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135
Robert Mapplethorpe
Flower
Estimate £10,000 - 15,000
Sold for £12,700
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136
Robert Mapplethorpe
Irises
Estimate £15,000 - 25,000
Sold for £38,100
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151
Robert Mapplethorpe
Deborah Harry
Estimate £10,000 - 15,000
Sold for £35,560
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43
Robert Mapplethorpe
Frank Diaz
Estimate £5,000 - 7,000
Sold for £6,350
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49
Robert Mapplethorpe
Thomas
Estimate £12,000 - 18,000
Sold for £27,940
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15
Robert Mapplethorpe
Flower
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $60,960
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16
Robert Mapplethorpe
Rose
Estimate $12,000 - 18,000
Sold for $12,700
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17
Robert Mapplethorpe
Sleeping Cupid
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $13,970
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18
Robert Mapplethorpe
Man in Polyester Suit
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $355,600
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19No Reserve
Robert Mapplethorpe
Lisa Lyon
Estimate $7,000 - 9,000
Sold for $12,700
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20No Reserve
Robert Mapplethorpe
Andreas Cahling
Estimate $5,000 - 7,000
Sold for $6,985
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22
Robert Mapplethorpe
Tulip
Estimate $12,000 - 18,000
Sold for $17,780
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23
Robert Mapplethorpe
Flower
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $12,700
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24
Robert Mapplethorpe
Lily
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $22,860
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54No Reserve
Robert Mapplethorpe
Television
Estimate $3,000 - 5,000
Sold for $30,480
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16
Robert Mapplethorpe
Armpit
Estimate £5,000 - 7,000
Sold for £11,970
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5
Robert Mapplethorpe
Orchid
Estimate £12,000 - 18,000
Sold for £12,600
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6
Robert Mapplethorpe
Rose
Estimate £10,000 - 15,000
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203
Robert Mapplethorpe
Sleeping Cupid (Icarus)
Estimate $12,000 - 18,000
Sold for $12,600
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204
Robert Mapplethorpe
Selected Images of Flowers: Blue Rose, Sepia Orchid, Green Amaryllis, Green Poppy, and Dark Sepia Rose
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Sold for $73,080
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205
Robert Mapplethorpe
Self-Portrait
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $144,900
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