Mapplethorpe, Robert. Robert Mapplethorpe.

Parco, 1987. Exhibition catalog in Japanese and English. Wraps with belly band and original acetate jacket. A couple of crimps in rear cover of book and jacket has some shelf wear. Very good. Adults only.  Summary:

Robert Mapplethorpe is a Japanese monograph documenting the work of the legendary American photographer. Packaged with a distinctive design that has earned it cult status among photo-book collectors, the volume features text in both Japanese and English, including an introduction by David Hershkovits and a foreword by Ikuroh Takano.

Key Focus Areas

• Lesser-Known Portfolios: The monograph stands out by collecting and spotlighting some of the less-publicized and lesser-known images within Mapplethorpe's broader oeuvre, offering a unique counter-narrative to his most widely circulated imagery.

• Commercial and Agency Assignments: A significant theme of the book is its inclusion of Mapplethorpe's commercial endeavors. It showcases how his rigorous artistic devotion, clean lines, and formal elegance translated directly into ad agency projects and commissioned celebrity portraits.

• The Controlled Studio Aesthetic: The imagery emphasizes Mapplethorpe's mastery over the highly structured studio environment. The curated selection highlights his precise, sculptural approach to lighting, form, and composition, bridging both classical figure studies and stylized still-lifes of flowers.

• A Matured Focus: Edited during a period the catalog frames as a "mellower phase" of the artist's life, the book balances the sharp, subversive edges of his early career with an elevated, serene focus on abstract geometries, tactile textures, and quiet tonal contrasts.