Playing with the Edge: The Photographic Achievement of Robert Mapplethorpe

Arthur Danto is one of the most distinguished philosophical art critics of our time, and Mapplethorpe was one of its most controversial artists. Danto provides a lucid and graceful introduction to Mapplethorpe's work as well as a rigorous, incisive criticism of the work in the context of our present-day culture. He investigates the paradoxical duality of Mapplethorpe's emphasis on subject matter and presentation, revealing that as provocative as the subject may be, the presentation bears the mark of fine art. A compelling and scholarly volume, illustrated with Mapplethorpe's photographs.