Robert Mapplethorpe, “Unique”

“Unique” in this case refers to Mapplethorpe’s medium of choice for these images taken from 1970 to 1975: Polaroid film. Dating from his early years, the photos deal with the same subjects (self-portraits, figure studies, still lifes and portraits of lovers and friends) that characterize Mapplethorpe’s mature style, revealing that his aesthetic sensibility was pretty much formed from the outset.