The decade in which American Flag, 1987 was made marked the height of Robert Mapplethorpe’s career as an artist. Often, his artistic legacy is discussed in terms of the explicit or taboo as evident in American Flag, 1977, which drew public outcry for its depiction of a tattered flag. Here, by contrast, Mapplethorpe captures the American emblem raised in the sky above a bed of clouds and against the sun’s glowing halo. In a counter-cultural twist, the flag is shown flying backwards as it was shot from behind. He depicts the subject in elegant black and white, an approach he had perfected throughout his career.

When the image was taken, Mapplethorpe had been diagnosed with AIDS and had lost his mentor Sam Wagstaff to AIDS-related complications in January of the same year. In the wake of Wagstaff’s passing and confronted with his own mortality, Mapplethorpe’s photographs became more self-reflective. Dignified and somber with a hint of optimism, American Flag demonstrates his capacity for profound communication through restrained composition.

In addition to the gelatin silver edition, American Flag, 1987 was realised in platinum on Belgian linen in an edition of 2 + 1AP.