Polaroids / Robert Mapplethorpe, 2007

Description

Polaroids is a photography book by American artist Robert Mapplethorpe, first published in 2007. It compiles a selection of his early instant photographs from the 1970s, offering insight into his artistic development before achieving fame for his refined black-and-white studio work. The volume highlights the immediacy and intimacy that characterized Mapplethorpe’s early experimentation.

Key facts

• Photographer: Robert Mapplethorpe

• Publication year: 2007

• Publisher: Prestel Publishing

• Content: Polaroid photographs (1970–1975)

• Format: Hardcover with critical essays and over 200 images

Background and creation

The book gathers Mapplethorpe’s early work created with a Polaroid SX-70, a medium that allowed quick experimentation during his formative years in New York City. These images predate his mastery of large-format photography and showcase his growing interest in composition, light, and eroticism. Many portraits depict close friends and collaborators, including poet Patti Smith, who shared his early artistic circle.

Themes and subjects

Mapplethorpe’s Polaroids mix self-portraiture, still life, and portrait studies. They reveal his fascination with classical form, sensuality, and the human figure even at this early stage. The spontaneous medium of Polaroid film captures both the vulnerability and confidence of his subjects, reflecting the experimental energy of the 1970s downtown art scene.

Publication and reception

Released posthumously, Polaroids was curated from Mapplethorpe’s archive and accompanied by essays contextualizing his transition from instant photography to meticulously staged studio work. Critics praised the book for documenting the genesis of his aesthetic and for humanizing an artist often associated with controversy. It has since become an important reference for understanding Mapplethorpe’s evolution and the creative possibilities of instant film photography.