Robert Mapplethorpe, (1946-1989)

Clifford Bowens

Clifford Bowens, 1980
Gelatin silver print, unmounted, signed, dated and inscribed 'For Clifford' in ink in the margin.
7 x 6 7/8in (17.8 x 17.5cm)
sheet 10 x 8in (25.4 x 20.3cm)

Provenance
A gift from the artist;
to Clifford Bowens, the sitter;
by bequest to the present owner

Clifford F. Bowens was an accomplished, classically trained pianist. A graduate of Juilliard School of Music in New York City, he performed in a number of concerts both at home and abroad. During his career as a musician, he worked and toured with the Martha Graham Dance Company as their lead accompanist. Around 1980, Bowens became friends with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe who photographed him on a number of occasions and gave him this small-format and personally inscribed portrait by way of thanks.