Lot 257

Don Herron, Robert Mapplethorpe, from the Tub Shots series. 1978.

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Don Herron, Robert Mapplethorpe, from the Tub Shots series. 1978.

Estimate: $5,000 - $7,500

Current Bid: $4,200

(4 Bids)

by Swann Auction Galleries
August 13, 2026 10:30 AM EDT
Live Auction
104 East 25th Street
New York, NY, US 10010

Don Herron
1941-2012
Robert Mapplethorpe, from the Tub Shots series. 1978.
Silver print
With Herron's signature, title, date, and edition notation 9/10 in pencil on recto.

  • Provenance:
    Courtland Jessup Gallery, Provincetown, Massachusetts, in 1991

    Notes:
    The work is accompanied by a copy of the letter Don Herron wrote on the day of the shooting:

    "I photographed Robert Mapplethorpe in San Francisco in Feb, 1978. He was having a show of photos at the Edward de Celle Gallery, & we had met at his opening the night before.
    I was to photograph him at 3 P.M. the next day in his hotel room, but at 3 Robert wasn't in his room, so I waited in the lobby. At 3:15, he walked in and apologized: He had forgotten all about the shoot and was just getting in. As I photographed him in his bathtub, he kept saying that he couldn't remember much about his opening the night before, or much about our conversation at the gallery, but if I was willing to photograph him in his current condition, he was willing to pose.
    I took 18 shots of Robert, and they all look exactly alike - He just lay in the tub and occasionally blinked.

    Robert died of AIDS in 1989."
  • Dimensions: The image 17 3/4 x 12 1/2 in. (45.1 x 31.8 cm.), the sheet 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm.)
  • Medium: Silver print
  • Condition: Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $149 $10
$150 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $5,999 $200
$6,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 $499,999 $20,000
$500,000 + $50,000