Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper
Tate Collection
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ARTIST ROOMS
National Heritage Memorial Fund
Art Fund
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<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/robert-mapplethorpe-11413" aria-label="More by Robert Mapplethorpe" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Robert Mapplethorpe</a>
Self Portrait
ARTIST ROOMS
Acquired jointly with the National Galleries of Scotland through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008
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<p>In this black and white self-portrait Robert Mapplethorpe stands in front of one of his constructions, <span>Black Star</span> 1983, which consists of a black-painted frame in the shape of a five-pointed star or pentagram. Mapplethorpe poses in a dark leather coat and gloves, clutching a submachine gun which he points slightly upwards to his left. Underneath his leather coat Mapplethorpe is wearing a wing-collared shirt and a white bowtie. Mapplethorpe stands straight on and looks directly at the camera. The photograph is cropped just below the artist’s waist. The self-portrait is based on a famous 1974 publicity image of the newspaper heiress Patty Hearst holding a submachine gun with the symbol of the Symbionese Liberation Army on the wall behind her. Hearst gained notoriety that year after being kidnapped by – and subsequently joining – the American left-wing revolutionary group.</p>
paper print photograph gelatin silver
25 September 2010 – 21 November 2010
2010-11-21
25 September 2010 – 21 November 2010
2010-11-21
2010-09-25
Towner (Eastbourne, UK)
http://www.townereastbourne.org.uk/
2010-09-25
ARTIST ROOMS 2010: Robert Mapplethorpe
Loan-out
1 March 2012 – 8 July 2012
2012-07-08
1 March 2012 – 8 July 2012
2012-07-08
2012-03-01
Burgh Hall (Dunoon, UK)
2012-03-01
ARTIST ROOMS 2012: Mapplethorpe Scottish Tour
Loan-out
20 July 2012 – 28 October 2012
2012-10-28
20 July 2012 – 28 October 2012
2012-10-28
2012-07-20
Linlithgow Burgh Halls (Linlithgow, UK)
2012-07-20
ARTIST ROOMS 2012: Mapplethorpe Scottish Tour
Loan-out
10 November 2012 – 27 April 2013
2013-04-27
10 November 2012 – 27 April 2013
2013-04-27
2012-11-10
Perth Museum & Art Gallery (Perth, UK)
http://www.pkc.gov.uk/
2012-11-10
ARTIST ROOMS 2012: Mapplethorpe Scottish Tour
Loan-out
9 May 2014 – 26 October 2014
2014-10-26
9 May 2016 – 26 October 2016
2016-10-26
2016-05-09
Tate Modern (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/
2014-05-09
Mapplethorpe Self Portraits and Portraits
Collection based display
Self Portrait
support: 374 × 375 mm
frame: 716 × 692 × 28 mm
<a href="/search?gid=999999788" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">ARTIST ROOMS</a>
Acquired jointly with the National Galleries of Scotland through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the <a href="/search?gid=999999967" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">National Heritage Memorial Fund</a> and the <a href="/search?gid=999999968" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">Art Fund</a> 2008
<div class="text">
<p>In this black and white self-portrait Robert Mapplethorpe stands in front of one of his constructions, <i>Black Star</i> 1983, which consists of a black-painted frame in the shape of a five-pointed star or pentagram. Mapplethorpe poses in a dark leather coat and gloves, clutching a submachine gun which he points slightly upwards to his left. Underneath his leather coat Mapplethorpe is wearing a wing-collared shirt and a white bowtie. Mapplethorpe stands straight on and looks directly at the camera. The photograph is cropped just below the artist’s waist. The self-portrait is based on a famous 1974 publicity image of the newspaper heiress Patty Hearst holding a submachine gun with the symbol of the Symbionese Liberation Army on the wall behind her. Hearst gained notoriety that year after being kidnapped by – and subsequently joining – the American left-wing revolutionary group.</p>
<p>The pentagram in this portrait is inverted (with one point facing down), making it a symbol of the devil. Perhaps due to his Catholic upbringing, Mapplethorpe maintained a fascination with the devil, using it as a motif throughout his work and as part of his private iconography. In another self-portrait taken in 1985 (Guggenheim Museum, New York), used as an illustration for Arthur Rimbaud’s poem <i>A Season in Hell</i> (1873), Mapplethorpe portrays himself with devil-like horns. He also owned cufflinks, ceramics and other objects adorned with images of devils. The artist once commented that ‘beauty and the Devil are the same thing’. (Quoted in Morrisroe 1995, p.89.) Harry McHue, Mapplethorpe’s roommate at the Pratt Institute in New York, recounts how he and the artist ‘wanted the power of Satan’ and ‘tried to seek out people and situations through which [they] could get in touch with him’. (Quoted in Morrisroe 1995, p.44.)</p>
<p>Mapplethorpe’s self-portraits are extremely varied. In many of them the artist assumes personae ranging from ‘rebel’ and ‘rocker’ – as in this portrait – to ‘leather fetishist’ and ‘cross dresser’. The latter persona can be seen in a 1980 self-portrait (Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, New York) in which the artist blurs gender identities by appearing in partial drag, his face dramatically made-up. As these and other works suggest, self-portraiture provides Mapplethorpe with a means of investigating the construction of self and identity and their embeddedness in broader social and cultural milieus.</p>
<p>
<b>Further reading</b>
<br/>Arthur C. Danto, <i>Playing with the Edge: The Photographic Achievement of Robert Mapplethorpe</i>, Berkeley and London 1996.<br/>Patricia Morrisroe, <i>Mapplethorpe: A Biography</i>, London 1995.<br/>Matthew Drutt, ‘Mapplethorpe’, The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation, <a href="http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artwork/2695">http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artwork/2695</a>, paragraphs 1–4, accessed 25 August 2014.</p>
<p>Matthew Macaulay<br/>The University of Edinburgh<br/>August 2014</p>
<p>
<i>The University of Edinburgh is a research partner of ARTIST ROOMS.</i>
</p>
</div>

Summary
2016-03-18T00:00:00
summary
SHORT_TEXT
<p>This self-portrait is based on the famous 1974 photograph of the newspaper heiress, Patty Hearst, holding a rifle with the symbol of the Symbionese Liberation Army on the wall behind her. Mapplethorpe shows himself in battle dress (leather jacket), posing, rifle in hand, in front of one of his constructions, ‘Black Star’, 1983 which consists of a black-painted frame in the shape of a five-pointed star or pentagram. This particular pentagram is inverted (with one point facing down) and is therefore a symbol of the Devil. Mapplethorpe, brought up a devout Catholic, later liked to identify with the Devil because of his own ‘sinful’ behaviour. Thus, he becomes a rebel soldier fighting for a cause.</p>

Online caption
2009-04-16T00:00:00
online-caption
ONLINE_CAPTION
adults arts and entertainment astronomy clothing and personal items emotions, concepts and ideas formal qualities gun, machine gun individuals: male jacket man Mapplethorpe, Robert named individuals objects people photographer photographic portraits self-portraits star weapons work and occupations