Robert Mapplethorpe

Robert Mapplethorpe
Self-Portrait, 1980
Born	Robert Michael Mapplethorpe (1946-11-04)November 4, 1946 Queens, New York City, U.S.
Died	March 9, 1989(1989-03-09) (aged 42) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Resting place	St. John Cemetery, Queens, New York City
Education	Pratt Institute
Known for	Photography
Partner(s)	Patti Smith (1967–1970) David Croland (1970–1972) Sam Wagstaff (1972–1987)
Website	mapplethorpe.org

Robert Michael Mapplethorpe (/ˈmeɪpəlˌθɔːrp/ MAY-pəl-thorp; November 4, 1946 – March 9, 1989) was an American photographer, best known for his black-and-white photographs. His work featured an array of subjects, including celebrity portraits, male and female nudes, self-portraits, and still-life images. His most controversial works documented and examined the gay male BDSM subculture of New York City in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Mapplethorpe's 1989 exhibition, Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Moment, sparked a debate in the United States concerning both use of public funds for "obscene" artwork and the Constitutional limits of free speech in the United States.