TEFAF Maastricht 2026: Robert Mapplethorpe. Flowers

At TEFAF Maastricht 2026, Galerie Thomas Schulte is delighted to present a curated selection of Robert Mapplethorpe’s flower photographs—among them several rare vintage prints.

Robert Mapplethorpe (1946–1989) created a vast and powerful body of work that secured his place as one of the most significant photographers of the twentieth century. While best known for his powerful black-and-white portraits and self-portraits, Mapplethorpe was equally captivated by the subject of flowers. His images, at once meticulous and sensuous, reflect his fascination with physical beauty and flaunt his technical facility in representing it.

Traditionally seen as symbols of purity and innocence, under his gaze, tulips, orchids, amaryllis, and daisies acquire a decadent and dark, at times erotic intensity. Foregrounding the interplay between sensuality and art-historical reference, their depiction of fleeting perfection echoes vanitas traditions, while the emphatically formal compositions and refined play of light and shadow recall the pictorial precision of the Old Masters.