Nude men in rubber suits, close-ups of erections, objects shoved in the most intimate of places—these are photographs taken by Robert Mapplethorpe, known by many as the most controversial photographer of the twentieth century. Openly gay, Mapplethorpe took images of male sex, nudity, and fetish to extremes that resulted in his work still being labelled by some as pornography masquerading as art. But less talked about are the more serene, yet striking portraits of flowers, sculptures, and perfectly framed human forms that are equally pioneering and powerful.

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Cast

Robert Mapplethorpe

Self (archive footage)

Fran Lebowitz

Self

Debbie Harry

Self

Brooke Shields

Self

Carolina Herrera

Self

🎭

Paul Martineau

Self

Bob Colacello

Self

Patti Smith

Self (voice) (uncredited)

Robert Mapplethorpe — Self (archive footage)

Robert Michael Mapplethorpe was an American photographer, best known for his black-and-white photographs. His work featured an array of subjects, including celebrity portraits, male and female nudes, self-portraits, and still-life images.

Fran Lebowitz — Self

Frances Ann Lebowitz (/ˈliːbəwɪts/; born October 27, 1950) is an American author, public speaker, cultural critic, and actor. She is known for her sardonic social commentary on American life as filtered through her New York City sensibilities and her association with many prominent figures of the New York art scene of the 1970s and 1980s, including Andy Warhol, Martin Scorsese, Jerome Robbins, Rob

Debbie Harry — Self

Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie.