Samuel Jones Wagstaff Jr was an American curator and collector as well as the artistic mentor and benefactor of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Wagstaff is known in part for his support of Minimalism, Pop Art, Conceptual Art and Earthworks, but his aesthetic acceptance and support of photography predate the acceptance of the medium as a serious form of fine art.After seeing the exhibition "The Painterly Photograph, 1890-1914" at the MOMA in 1973 Wagstaff became convinced that photographs were the most unrecognized works of art. He began selling his collection of paintings, using the proceeds to buy 19th-century American, British, and French photography. .Wagstaff's aesthetic veered toward the daring, and he began to depart from established names in search of new talent. His collection was soon recognized as one of the finest in the United States. Wagstaff died of complications from AIDS on 14 January 1987.
Samuel Jones Wagstaff Jr was an American curator and collector as well as the artistic mentor and benefactor of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Wagstaff is known in part for his support of Minimalism, Pop Art, Conceptual Art and Earthworks, but his aesthetic acceptance and support of photography predate the acceptance of the medium as a serious form of fine art.After seeing the exhibition "The Painterly Photograph, 1890-1914" at the MOMA in 1973 Wagstaff became convinced that photographs were the most unrecognized works of art. He began selling his collection of paintings, using the proceeds to buy 19th-century American, British, and French photography. .Wagstaff's aesthetic veered toward the daring, and he began to depart from established names in search of new talent. His collection was soon recognized as one of the finest in the United States. Wagstaff died of complications from AIDS on 14 January 1987.
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