Robert Mapplethorpe - Photographs New York Tuesday, October 3, 2017 | Phillips

Photographs

New York 3 October 2017

  • Provenance

    Jean Efron Art Consultants, Washington D.C.

  • Literature

    teNeues, Mapplethorpe: The Complete Flowers, n.p.

  • Catalogue Essay

    About the Collector:
    With a life-long passion for collecting, spurred by an intense, intellectual curiosity for art, Jeffrey M. Kaplan’s collection transcends classification and speaks to his devotion to all things cultural. Driven by an innate interest in learning about different cultures and ways of life, the photographs in his collection illustrate key moments and movements throughout the history of the medium, unified by the overarching theme of one man’s collecting journey.

    The photographs on offer, lots 271-286, include works by leaders in the field, thus demonstrating Kaplan’s deep knowledge and keen awareness of the medium. From Alfred Stieglitz, and his selections for Camera Work, to Ansel Adams and Berenice Abbott, the classic is balanced by the contemporary with an equally impressive selection of works by Robert Mapplethorpe, Alec Soth and Robert Polidori. Kaplan’s particular affinity for Mapplethorpe is evident in the six lots on offer which show the photographer’s incredible depth and include the stunning dye transfer print, Flowers in Vase; the iconic photograph of Thomas that was selected by Patti Smith to grace the cover of Robert Mapplethorpe, her 1987 book on the photographer; and Wheat, a still-life that shows a masterful range of tonality.

    This diverse selection reflects Kaplan’s constant interest in acquiring works that peaked his intellect, while offering the thrill that drives the most devoted of collectors.

  • Artist Biography

    Robert Mapplethorpe

    American • 1946 - 1989

    After studying drawing, painting and sculpture at the Pratt Institute in the 1960s, Robert Mapplethorpe began experimenting with photography while living in the notorious Chelsea Hotel with Patti Smith. Beginning with Polaroids, he soon moved on to a Hasselblad medium-format camera, which he used to explore aspects of life often only seen behind closed doors.

    By the 1980s Mapplethorpe's focus was predominantly in the studio, shooting portraits, flowers and nudes. His depiction of the human form in formal compositions reflects his love of classical sculpture and his groundbreaking marriage of those aesthetics with often challenging subject matter. Mapplethorpe's style is present regardless of subject matter — from erotic nudes to self-portraits and flowers — as he ceaselessly strove for what he called "perfection of form."

    View More Works

Photographs from the Collection of Jeffrey M. Kaplan, Washington, D.C.

273

Robert Mapplethorpe

Orchids

1987
Dye transfer print, printed 1989.
22 5/8 x 22 in. (57.5 x 55.9 cm)
Signed, dated by Michael Ward Stout, Executor, in ink, titled, dated and numbered 1/5 in an unidentified hand in ink, Estate copyright credit reproduction limitation stamp on the reverse of the flush-mount.

Estimate
$20,000 - 30,000 

Sold for $50,000

Contact Specialist
Sarah Krueger
Head of Department, Photographs

Vanessa Hallett
Worldwide Head of Photographs and Deputy Chairman, Americas

General Enquiries:
+1 212 940 1245

Photographs

New York 3 October 2017