Robert Mapplethorpe

Robert Michael Mapplethorpe was an American photographer best known for his striking black-and-white images, including portraits, nudes, still lifes, and provocative depictions of New York’s gay BDSM subculture. He rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s and became a major figure in debates over censorship and artistic freedom. He founded the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation in 1988 to support photography, museums, and HIV/AIDS-related medical research.