PAUL BLANKA ( 63 x 51 cm ) This portrait is the work of Paul Blanca (1958–2021), a provocative Dutch photographer known for his intense, often confrontational black-and-white imagery.  Paul Blanca (born Paul Vlaswinkel) rose to fame in the 1980s. He was famously described by the legendary American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe as his "only real competitor".  His work typically falls into two categories:  Provocative & Violent: Blanca gained notoriety for extreme self-portraits involving self-mutilation (e.g., carving a crying Mickey Mouse into his own back) and raw depictions of trauma and addiction. Sensitive & Intimate: Contrasting his harsher work, he also produced tender, sculptural portraits of family. Famous examples include Mother and Son (1982), featuring a naked embrace with his mother, and Father and Son, showing him with his newborn.  He primarily used a Hasselblad 6x6 camera to create stark, high-contrast black-and-white negatives that aimed for "the moment as a monument". Besides Mapplethorpe, he was mentored by the renowned Dutch choreographer and photographer Hans van Manen, from whom he learned technical precision and how to direct models. Notable Series: Sangre de Toro (1991): A series of bullfighting prints created using actual bull's blood as ink. Par la Pluie des Femmes (1989): Portraits of women crying after being asked to reflect on their most traumatic memories. In 1995, his career suffered after he was wrongly suspected of involvement in an attack on artist Rob Scholte. He later returned to the art world with the 2008 series Mi Mattes, documenting local gang members. The autograph might be not his own but an owner who wrote the name of the photographer. Its not sure. He might not have signed but just written on the back. The photo will be sent in a wide diameter tube or can be picked up.