Robert Mapplethorpe

I was looking through the most recent issue of Vogue last night and read an article on Patti Smith talking about her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. I loosely covered Mapplethorpes work while studying a couple of years ago but never got deep into any kind of research about him so was unaware that he had a relationship with Patti Smith. They had met accidentally in a bookshop in New York in the late sixties, their main bond was work, art and love. The article briefly mentioned Mapplethorpe taking up Polaroid photography which to be honest untill last night I had no idea about! I'm ashamed. So today I've been looking up some of his earlier work with polaroids, and less naked men, and found them quite refreshing and some amazing! I'm a little sad I didnt delve deeper into Mapplethorpes work while studying Photography, but theres always time for that now. I've collected a few of his early Polaroids which I love and are really inspiring so take a look.

^my personal favourite^

middle and left Patti Smith, right Marianne Faithful.

You can buy a book which has a collection of his Polaroids and essays by Sylvia Wolf on around 300 of his Polaroids!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mapplethorpe-Polaroids-Sylvia-Wolf/dp/3791338358

You can also buy 'Just Kids' by Patti Smith, it is a tribute to her love and relationship with Mapplethorpe, as well an incisive account on being young, ambitious and artistic in Seventies New York.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Just-Kids-Patti-Smith/dp/0747548404/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266944519&sr=1-1