Robert Michael Mapplethorpe (November 4, 1946 – March 9, 1989) was an American photographer and artist. Best known for his black-and-white photographs, his work encompassed celebrity portraits, self-portraits, erotic photographs, and still lifes of flowers.

Mapplethorpe initially worked in collages, sculpture, and jewelry design, incorporating photography into his collages before adopting it as his primary medium. During the 1970s, he became known for photographs documenting New York City's gay male BDSM subculture, while his portraits brought together subjects from different social and cultural circles. He continued to work until his death from AIDS-related complications in 1989.

His posthumous exhibition The Perfect Moment in 1989 became the focus of a national controversy over public funding for the arts, censorship, and the legal treatment of sexually explicit imagery. The controversy contributed to broader debates in the United States over artistic freedom.