25-166 Mapplethorpe Calla Lily 1988 Dye Transfer 30 x 30

Calle Lily, 1988. Offered here is an unsigned original vintage dye transfer print of a photograph by Robert Mapplethorpe. It measures 30 x 30 inches in a new custom matte black frame with museum glass and an 8-ply acid-free mat.

Seven signed prints were made—they are all in private collections or in museums. This print was made at the same time (1988), but was left unsigned because there is a bit of brown residue on the lower left corner.

A dye transfer is difficult to make but the outstanding color fidelity is worth it. Kodak discontinued the dyes in 1994. A dye transfer print this size cost $3,000 in 1988, $8,200 in today’s dollars. Note: this print is the original 1988 dye transfer, not a contemporary digital reproduction.

Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989) received his BFA from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn. Early on he was a staff photographer for Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine and shot album covers for Patti Smith, his good friend. His first flower photographs were shown in 1977 at the Holly Solomon Gallery. In 1988, the year this photograph was made, he had four exhibitions: Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia; and the National Portrait Gallery, London. His work is in the permanent collection of many museums including the Guggenheim, MoMA, The Whitney, The Getty, and LACMA.

The Getty and LACMA share his archive of 2,313 artworks that were donated by his foundation. They have the Calla Lily Polaroid test shot he made (2011.M.20). They don’t have this dye transfer though.

Christie’s sold a similar vintage original Mapplethorpe Cala Lily dye transfer print for $93,750 October 5, 2016, auction lot #105. Theirs was signed, ours is not.