Gefter, Philip (Wagstaff, Samuel; Mapplethorpe, Robert)

Wagstaff: Before and After Mapplethorpe

ISBN: 9780871404374
New York, NY: Liveright Publishing Corporation/ W.W. Norton & Company, 2015. First Edition. Hardcover. "Samuel Wagstaff, the legendary curator, collector, and patron of the arts, emerges as a cultural visionary in this groundbreaking biography. Even today remembered primarily as the mentor and lover of Robert Mapplethorpe, the once infamous photographer, Wagstaff, in fact, had an incalculable- and largely overlooked- influence on the world of contemporary art and photography, and on the evolution of gay identity in the latter part of the twentieth century." (from front flap) A comprehensive, analytical biography of Samuel J. Wagstaff (1921-1987), the American aristocrat who evolved into one of the foremost influencers of later twentieth-century art & was famously the lifetime companion & promoter of Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989), the great & provocative American photographer. Both Wagstaff & Mapplethorpe succumbed to AIDS within a few years of each other. Author Philip Gefter, the acclaimed, award-winning & prolific American author & photography historian, offers a detailed portrait of these iconic figures' lives, works, associations, places & times. With two sections of captioned historical photographs. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket, first edition as stated on copyright page, first printing as indicated by number sequence thereon. A most well-researched & rewarding work of biography; a collectible-in-the-making in its rarest original form. Book in very fine condition, substantially mint inside & out. Dust jacket fine with only light rubbing to front, back covers & spine; a touch of wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same & flaps esp. spine-edges, corners. An extra handling fee will be added for shipping due to the weight of this item. Very Fine / Fine. [Item #5344]

Price: $35.00