Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe, New York City, 1969
Print Details
About this photograph
"Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe D" photographed in 1969 by Norman Seeff.
After arriving in New York, Seeff began hanging out at Max's Kansas City, where he befriended Smith and Mapplethorpe, then a couple and both unknown. "We were just hanging in my kitchen when we did that," Seeff says. "When I photographed them, who knew where they would go?" In 1969, Mapplethorpe considered himself an airbrush artist and demonstrated his work on some of Seeff's photos. "Then he said, 'Would you mind if I come and watch your sessions, because I want to learn about photography?'"
- Norman Seeff, Rolling Stone
Print sizes and edition
Edition of 50 - Norman Seeff only produces 50 prints per negative.
38" x 50"
44" x 64"
Print type
Archival pigment print
Paper type
MOAB Entrada Rag Natural paper
Signature
Hand signed by photographer in ink
About the photographer
Norman Seeff is a renowned photographer celebrated for his iconic portraits of music legends and cultural icons. After leaving his career as an emergency doctor in South Africa, Seeff moved to New York in 1968, where his photography quickly gained recognition. Drawing on his roots in street photography, Seeff developed a unique method that preserved the authenticity and spontaneity of candid moments, while re-creating them in a formal studio setting. His dynamic, emotionally engaging sessions captured the raw essence of figures like Joni Mitchell, Tina Turner, Patti Smith, and The Eagles, earning him a pivotal role in the history of music and portrait photography.
© Norman Seeff. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced without permission.