GEORGE VALENTINE DUREAU (1930-2014)
Robert Mapplethorpe Shirtless #1. Silver print, the image measuring 464x356 mm; 18¼x14 inches, the sheet slightly larger, with Dureau's signature, title, and edition notation 1/10 in ink on recto. 1985. George Valentine Dureau is best known for his black and white photography and charcoal drawings. Born, raised, and educated in Louisiana, Dureau spent most of his artistic career in the French Quarter of New Orleans. His photographs focused primarily on athletes, amputees, and dwarves, capturing the vulnerability and humanity of his subject. Robert Mapplethorpe was a student of Dureau's and credited his works as inspiration. Chris Boot & Philip Gefter, George Dureau, The Photographs (Aperture), p. 87.