"This publication will provide an overview of the most extensive collection of primary material existing on Robert Mapplethorpe's entire practice, including the work he produced before turning to photography. This volume will focus on examples of etchings, drawings, collages, paintings, sculpture, commercial work, personal collections, as well as intimate dialogues among friends, colleagues, and business associates. In addition, the book will provide insight into Mapplethorpe's identity as a gay man and the ways his art pushed against the limits of censorship and conformity. This publication is intended to be a 'signal contribution to our understanding of one of the key figures in late-twentieth-century photography and cultural politics.'"--Publisher's description.