Robert Mapplethorpe: Portrait of the artist

Before his death from Aids at the age of 42, Robert Mapplethorpe challenged the stigma of being gay, and left a rich body of artistic photography, writes Richard Fitzpatrick

PHOTOGRAPHER Robert Mapplethorpe sure is hot right now, more than a quarter of a century after he died from Aids on March 9, 1989. There is a biopic, starring Doctor Who star Matt Smith, in the works. Also, a HBO documentary about his life, entitled Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures, premiered to acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival in January and is set to broadcast in April.

The Getty Research Institute will publish Robert Mapplethorpe: The Archive, as well as a companion book Robert Mapplethorpe: The Photographs later this month. The institute will also host an exhibition in two Los Angeles museums to coincide with their publication.