MAPPLETHORPE: LOOK AT THE PICTURES

Robert Mapplethorpe emerged from the vibrant 1970s New York art scene where he bonded with Patti Smith and partnered with art collector Sam Wagstaff. Mapplethorpe’s photography spanned explicit gay sadomasochistic sex, but also stunning pictures of flowers. In 1989, the year he died of AIDS, he was denounced in Congress by Senator Jesse Helms. Filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (The Eyes of Tammy Faye) don’t hold back in confronting Mapplethorpe’s personal complexities or public provocations. Courtesy of HBO Documentary Films.

Hear Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato on Pure Nonfiction ep 4.