PRESS RELEASE
The Baldwin Gallery is pleased to present a new show by acclaimed contemporary photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Though the photographs comprising “50 New York Artists” were taken in the early 80s, and produced as a book, the full body of work has never before been shown. Justifiably famous for his celebrity portraits, Mapplethorpe’s subjects are presented as both flawless icons and distinct personalities. Though his photographs are well known for his sometimes controversial subject matter, Mapplethorpe was always primarily concerned with the inherent beauty and formal visual qualities of his subjects. This portrait series is echt Mapplethorpe in that it seems to visually equate his sitters with the most gorgeous of classical marbles, while simultaneously providing authentic images of an innovative and vibrant period in the contemporary art world. Robert Mapplethorpe was born in 1946, and he received a B.F.A. from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He died of AIDS in 1989 at the age of 42.