10/21/2025
In a conversation with critic Anne Horton, Robert Mapplethorpe shared his ambivalence toward flowers. “I don’t love flowers and I don’t like having them,” he admitted. When Horton asked if it was the bother of watering them that he disliked, Mapplethorpe replied, “Watering them and dripping on the floor.” Horton then suggested it might be the experience of watching them die, to which he agreed:
“And watching them die and feeling guilty about them. I can’t have part of my life devoted to flowers.” Despite this aversion, he found inspiration in photographing them.
“But I can photograph them and get excited about photographing them,” he said. “I’ll sort of force myself to photograph them before they die because I know I can get a good picture of them.”
Both works are now on view in our third room.
Robert Mapplethorpe, Calla Lily, 1987,signed on lower right recto, vintage lithograph, 25-7/8 x 25-7/8 inches, edition of 24 plus 6 artist’s proofs.
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation.
