Cindy Sherman
Cindy Sherman, a name revered in the realm of fine art photography, deserves profound credit for her role in irrevocably erasing the demarcation between fine art and the art of photography. For 40 years, Cindy Sherman has been the sole actor, director and costumer in a drama that continues to unfold.
CINDY SHERMAN RADICALLY CHANGED CONTEMPORARY ART
Cindy Sherman, a name revered in the realm of fine art photography, deserves profound credit for her role in irrevocably erasing the demarcation between fine art and the art of photography. For 40 years, Cindy Sherman has been the sole actor, director and costumer in a drama that continues to unfold.
For an illustrious span of four decades, Cindy Sherman has remained the solitary luminary, not merely as the subject, but as the masterful orchestrator, director and costumer in a captivating drama that continues to gracefully unfurl.
In the year 2016, the art world bore witness to the brilliance of Cindy Sherman through the dual prism of two major museum exhibitions, each on opposite ends of the globe. "Cindy Sherman: Imitation of Life," a spectacular display held from June 11 to October 2, 2016, at The Broad in Los Angeles, emerged as the first comprehensive museum showcase of Cindy Sherman's oeuvre in nearly two decades. This remarkable exhibition featured a trove of 120 artworks, all drawn from the illustrious Broad collection. Simultaneously, "Cindy Sherman," another resplendent exhibition, graced the Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, Australia, from May 28 to October 3, 2016. This exhibition, a testament to Sherman's global appeal, showcased 56 large-scale photographic works from six distinct series, all produced since the dawn of the new millennium and even included works realized in the very year of 2016.
Among the pantheon of her revolutionary creations, Cindy Sherman's "Untitled #96," a pivotal piece hailing from her iconic 1981 centerfold series comprising twelve enthralling images, stands as a beacon of transformation in the world of photography. Originally commissioned by the venerable Artforum, this singular work managed to shatter established conventions and reshape perceptions of the photographic medium itself. The magnitude of its influence was palpably evident when, in May 2011, a staggering sum of $3.895 million exchanged hands for Cindy Sherman's "Untitled #96" at Christie's New York, setting an unprecedented auction record and solidifying its position as the most expensive photograph ever to be sold—a record that would remain unchallenged until November of the same year. Subsequently, a remarkable ensemble of 21 "Film Stills," yet another masterpiece by the artist, achieved a momentous milestone at Christie's New York in November 2014, securing an auction record for Cindy Sherman with a staggering price tag of $6.773 million.
Cindy Sherman embarked on her iconic "Film Stills" series in 1977, a groundbreaking journey that would see her assume a myriad of roles. From centerfold portraits to historical reenactments, from society portraits to an array of mesmerizing clown incarnations, Sherman's artistic exploration has transcended the ordinary and elevated the genre of fine art photography into an extraordinary realm of innovation and imagination. Her enduring legacy continues to captivate and inspire, leaving an indelible mark on the annals of photographic history.
Cindy Sherman unveiled her latest collection of approximately 30 new works at Hauser & Wirth 18 January – 16 March 2024. Since the early 2000s, she has constructed personae using digital manipulation, meditating on the increasingly fractured sense of self in 21st century society and continuing an artistic exploration that has uniquely encapsulated her oeuvre since the outset of her career.
In these latest works, Sherman has collaged various elements of her own face to construct entirely new characters, using digital manipulation to emphasize layered details and underscore the malleability of the self. She has removed external context, eschewing any mise-en-scène, to focus completely on the details of the face and head. Here, she combines a digital collaging technique that incorporates both black and white and color photographs with more traditional methods of transformation, like make-up, wigs and costumery, to create a group of unsettling portraits of women who laugh, wince, smirk and grimace at the viewer.
