Mapplethorpe << MAY puhl thawrp >>, Robert (1946-1989), an American photographer, became famous for his artistic black-and-white portraits and still lifes. Many of his pictures show everyday objects in beautifully arranged compositions. Mapplethorpe became a center of controversy for photographing subject matter that some people found obscene or offensive. He created many sexually explicit photographs of nude males and females, and occasionally children. Outcry against Mapplethorpe’s subject matter led at least one museum to cancel an exhibition of his work after his death.
Mapplethorpe was born on Nov. 4, 1946, in New York City. He studied at the Pratt Institute from 1963 to 1970. He started his career as a filmmaker and a multimedia artist who incorporated photographs into collages. Mapplethorpe was a popular fashion photographer and also designed furniture. He spent the last years of his life campaigning to gain public attention for the fight against AIDS. He died of the disease on March 9, 1989.
