Customer Reviews

Mapplethorpe: A Biography

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Although Robert Mapplethorpe's artistic creations are undeniably controversial, his life story, as told by Patricia Morrisroe, makes for absolutely fascinating reading. I had more than once come across references to Mapplethorpe's work in the various gay fictions I'd been reading; and being totally unfamiliar with him (except for vague name recognition), I decided to find out more about him. Interestingly enough, both towards the latter half of his life and in the months following his death there were many events related in the book that I could recall having heard about in the news, but didn't make the connection with Mapplethorpe until this book. I think my mouth was agape throughout most of the time spent reading it; even now, recalling the descriptions of some of his photos and the detailed recounting of his lifestyle, I just sit and shake my head in amazement and probably shock. Robert Mapplethorpe, at his mother's request, received the last rites before he died. Being raised Catholic, I know what that should mean; but quite frankly, if there is indeed a heaven and a hell, I'm not sure in which place Robert Mapplethorpe is currently residing. A very informative book, and very, very absorbing reading!

Having just read Patti Smith's book on her life with Robert Mapplethorpe, I decided to re-visit Morrisroe's biography. I enjoyed it even more the second time around. It's honest without being sensational and she treats his life in a sensitive, non-judgmental way. Even though I already knew the ending, the book is so well-written that I couldn't put it down.

This book is excellent and very readable.I imagine there is not much left to say about Roberts life.The research is thorough but the resulting book is vivid ,full of life and not at all dull.Everybody in the N.Y. art scene seems to make an appearance-Patti Smith is obviously also a big and constant background presence in the tale.Even if you don't rate Roberts work this book will be well worth reading.

This book was done so well, it kept my interest into the the personal side of Mapplethorpe. The book is in no way gross or tawdry. It reflects a realistic depiction of his relationships. You can actually see yourself growing older with him as the story progresses

While the book itself is a compelling read, this particular edition is a disgrace. The included photographs are so muddy and poorly rendered that the reader can barely discern what the subject is - they look like they were reproduced on a toy printing press from the nineteen fifties. On top of that, the paper is of the cheapest quality, and the text is visually distorted in areas. Again, this book is a disgrace - particularly in consideration of the fact that its subject was a visual artist. Nothing like a little irony, but it seems questionable that that was the intent.

This is the best biography I have ever read. Morrisroe's research is thorough and her writing is not dull or pretentious. The story flows right along, and there is no sense of judgement passed on Robert for the way he lived his life, only the belief that his art both changed the standing of photography as art and challenged his critics and would-be censors. This is a marvellous celebration of an innovative artist's life. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.

this booktotally captured my attention and got me completely engrossed in it . i didn't feel the pages turning at all.i read this book for college and i did in no way find it a chore to do so.i found myself waiting untill i could pick up the book to continue reading. well written.

I definitely took longer to finish this one... It did have about 100 pages more than each of the other five books I've read this year, but the subject wasn't easy either. It's not that I was appalled by the descriptions of his photographs and lifestyle; it's just hard to read about someone self-destructing. Still, it's like a car crash and you can't avoid looking to see what happened. A couple of months ago his name wouldn't ring a bell. A couple of weeks ago I actually got a joke that Bill Maher made about him. Watching "The Basketball Diaries" last weekend for the first time, I caught myself thinking whether a nameless character that appeared for a brief couple of minutes in the movie could've been a way for Jim Carroll''the main character and author of the book by the same name''to pay tribute to Mapplethorpe, whom he had known in real life. At least now I know the story of someone who changed not only the New York art scene, but pushed forward through times of deep changes in society and definitely one of the strongest social dramas of my lifetime: the AIDS epidemic.

The book that I ordered and arrived was a reprint, not the original edition, which is hardcover. More importantly, the original black and white illustrations were grayed out (no contrast) in the reprint edition. The description did not say it was a reprint!!!!

I purchased this biography of Mapplethorpe immediately after reading Patti Smith's memoir about their lives together in NYC in the late 60's, early 70's-- Just Kids. I was not disappointed. Not only does Morrisroe provide more details about Mapplethorpe's early years with Patti Smith, she tells the rest of the story concluding with Mapplethorpe's horrible death from AIDS and the controversy concerning his work. Morrisroe does a very good job of presenting a balanced portrait of a very conflicted individual. Moreover, the story will really bring back the devastating affect of AIDS on the NYC art scene in the mid-1980s.

In addition to the details of Mapplethorpe's life, there is some very interesting discussion in the book about photography as an art form and what constitutes "Art." I particularly loved her inclusion of excerpts of from the contemporaneous critics of Mapplethorpe's work. My favorite from Ben Lifson: "In Civilization and Its Discontents, Freud talks about artists who descend into what he calls the maelstrom, meaning the unconscious, and they come back and tell us what was there. Robert went into the maelstrom, no question about it, but he came back with an elegant picture postcard --'Having a wonderful time, wish you were here. Love Robert'"