PHOTOGRAPHER Lloyd Ziff has announced the release of his latest book DESIRE, which showcases a collection of photographs of the iconic duo Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe.
The photographs were shot in New York during the thriving years of 1968 and 1969 where Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe found themselves as young artists in the height of New York’s buzzing art scene.
Smith and Mapplethorpe were both exploring the art of photography at the time, hence why they found themselves the subjects of Ziff’s photography.
Patti with Robert in the background
Now, 50 years on, DESIRE brings these photos to life, some of which have never been seen before. The 128 pages of DESIRE document Patti and Robert’s first photo shoot together and capture their beaming chemistry in two separate shoot locations.
Robert and Patti
The first shoot location sees Patti and Robert in their Hall Street space in Brooklyn in 1968 and the other finds them in Lloyd Ziff’s apartment on Charles Street in the famous Greenwich Village, New York, where the two look effortlessly striking in front of the lens.
Contact sheet of images
All together Desire features 65 unpublished works including original contact sheets and personal notes which all work together to create a set of photography that comes alive with a rich narrative.
A classic New York scene
Ziff captures the duo in their natural habitat focusing in on them as humans and not as the growing icons they had become at the time. Flicking between the pages, you’ll see classic images of New York scenery along with laughter, love and art.
Patti laughing
Patti Smith is caught in beautiful spontaneous moments on camera such as laughing, praying and thinking, all of which reflect the unstaged ethos of the shoots. Robert Mapplethorpe is similarly free while being photographed and is seen crouching, screaming and moving around as if the camera were never there.
Desire is not just a book for fans of Patti Smith but instead welcomes photography lovers to delve into the world of New York in the late 1060s and see how life was lived through two of the most important New York duos in art and music.
The beautiful packaging for the book.
The book’s beauty goes beyond its pages as comes in a hard-back cover, packaged in a brown parcel paper which is stored in a hand sewn paper bag which is foiled with striking black embossed lettering.
by Katrina Mirpuri
Book design/images ©NJGStudios. Photography ©Lloyd Ziff.
Key Info/Pricing
Desire is a limited edition publication of 600 books.
100 strictly limited edition signed and numbered books by Lloyd Ziff, with a limited edition signed and numbered C-Type print. Retail £200
500 limited edition signed and numbered books by Lloyd Ziff. Retail at £60
Available for sale exclusively at njgstudio.com from Monday October 14