Robert Mapplethorpe was a highly successful American photographer who came to prominence in the 1970s for his photographs of explicit, erotic scenes, flowers and portraits. He lived up to the image of the ‘bad boy of photography’ in his ‘tough’ poses and ‘teddy-boy’ haircut and clothes. His very first exhibition was a group show in New York with Warhol among others. They both made portraits of each other in 1983.