Cindy Sherman
Cindy Sherman is an influential American photographer and conceptual artist, renowned for her self-portraits that critically examine the role of media in shaping gender stereotypes and societal expectations. Born on January 19, 1954, in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, Sherman developed a passion for art early in life, eventually studying at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Initially focused on painting, she shifted her medium to photography after discovering her talent and interest in capturing images.
Sherman's seminal work, "Untitled Film Stills," created between 1977 and 1980, features 69 black-and-white self-portraits where she adopts various personas, encouraging viewers to explore interpretations of female identity and representation in media. Her art often challenges the objectification of women and critiques mass consumer culture. Over the years, her work evolved to include more complex themes, employing color and larger prints, as seen in series like "Fairy Tales and Disasters" and "Sex Pictures," which delve into darker societal issues.
Throughout her career, Sherman has received significant recognition, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 1995 and major exhibitions at prestigious institutions like the Museum of Modern Art and the National Portrait Gallery. Today, she continues to be a prominent figure in contemporary art, residing in New York and maintaining a focus on the interplay between identity and representation in her work.
Cindy Sherman
Photographer, film director
- Born: January 19, 1954
- Place of Birth: Glen Ridge, New Jersey
Education: State University of New York at Buffalo
Significance: Cindy Sherman is an American photographer, best known for her use of conceptual self-portraits that examine media’s influence on gender roles and stereotypes.
Background
Cynthia Morris Sherman, also known as Cindy, was born on January 19, 1954, in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. When Sherman was young, her family moved to Long Island, New York, to be close to her father’s job. He was an engineer for an aircraft company. Although neither one of Sherman’s parents worked in the arts (her mother was a reading teacher), Sherman’s father enjoyed collecting cameras and taking pictures of the family. In Cindy’s youth, the girl spent an extensive amount of time dressing up and playing pretend, a hobby that would prove useful in her career.
In 1972, Sherman began studying at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo. Initially, Sherman majored in art education, with an emphasis in painting. She would often paint self-portraits or copy photographs she found in magazines. However, Sherman grew restless while working with the medium because it did not allow her to find the unique voice she was searching for or to say something new and different. While still a painting major, Sherman took an introductory photography class and fell in love with picture-taking. Despite her keen interest in the subject and natural aptitude for taking photos, Sherman failed out of the class because she had a hard time with printmaking. She resolved to retake the class, and she subsequently enrolled in a second course that finally set her on a successful career path. It was then that she changed majors and never returned to painting. While still in school, Sherman was introduced to conceptual art, an artistic movement she found both liberating and inspiring. Sherman graduated from SUNY Buffalo in 1976.
Life’s Work
Entranced by the idea of conceptual art, Sherman began dressing up once again. She would spend lengthy sessions putting on elaborate makeup and altering her appearance. Sherman then ventured out into the world in costume so that the general public could witness her art. She then began taking self-portraits in these costumes. Out of this effort, Sherman’s most famous photography series was born: Untitled Film Stills. From 1977 to 1980, Sherman took sixty-nine, 8" × 10" black-and-white photographs of herself in which she portrayed various personas. She did not explicitly name the different characters she depicted (each photograph is untitled). This decision instead allowed viewers to craft their own stories. Sherman played a variety of roles—from a drunken tramp in her underwear or a nerdy librarian to a damsel in distress. Through these portrayals, Sherman challenged viewers to examine that ways in which mass-media influences the public’s views about gender roles—and more specifically, women. Each photograph was taken from the perspective of a lustful gaze, shedding light on how women are viewed by society. The photo series was extremely successful, and it ensured Sherman’s breakthrough in the New York art scene. By the project’s completion, Sherman had already begun to be profiled in various art publications, such as October and Arts Magazine.
In the 1980s, Sherman’s work took on a darker, more mature tone. In addition to introducing color film into her work, Sherman also began using larger scale prints. In her series Fairy Tales and Disasters, Sherman worked with the widely held notions about fairy tales but gave them a radically different slant: She replaced fluffy fantasy with death and gore. Even more explicit than Fairy Tales was her series Sex Pictures. This series sought to shed a light on the role of sex in American culture. For these photographs, Sherman stepped behind the camera, not in front of it, and she began utilizing plastic mannequins and other prosthetic devices as her subjects. For some of the shots, she used real human body parts discarded by a local medical school.
In the 1990s, Sherman returned once again to self-portraiture and society’s views of the female identity. In 1995, Sherman was awarded a MacArthur fellowship, sometimes called the "genius grant"; this award is a large monetary prize bestowed annually upon extraordinary, creative individuals. That same year, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City purchased Sherman’s entire Untitled Film Stillsseries for $1 million and showed the photographs for two years. In 1997, Sherman tried her hand at film direction, and she directed Molly Ringwald and Jeanne Tripplehorn in Office Killer, a twisted comedy about a serial killer. In 2000, the Museum of Contemporary Art in both Los Angeles and Chicago put on major exhibitions of her life’s work.
Sherman returned to displaying her art in 2016 with the travelling photo gallery "The Imitation of Life." In 2019, the National Portrait Gallery of London showcased a retrospective of the artist's work. In 2024, Sherman held Cindy Sherman at Cycladic: Early Works, an art exhibition at the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, Greece.
Impact
Sherman has showcased her work in many of the world’s most esteemed museums and galleries. Her self-portraits consistently challenge both the wide acceptance of mass-consumer culture and also the ways in which our society suppresses our identities. Her work seeks to confront our views on women and sex, and also on the ways in which popular culture promotes such stereotypes.
Personal Life
In 1984, Sherman married French photographer and film director Michel Auder. After fifteen years of marriage, the pair divorced in 1999. Sherman also had a romantic relationship with musician and artist David Byrne from 2007 to 2011. Sherman resides in New York City, with homes in both the city as well as in East Hampton, New York.
Bibliography
"Cindy Cherman at the Cycladic." Art Scene Athens, 31 May 2024, artsceneathens.com/2024/05/31/cindy-sherman-at-the-cycladic/. Accessed 29 Sept. 2024.
Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Cindy Sherman."Encycloaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 6 Jan. 2016. <http://www.britannica.com/biography/Cindy-Sherman>.
Morris, Catherine, and Paul Ha. Cindy Sherman: Working Girl (Decade Series 2005). St. Louis: Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, 2006. Print.
Respini, Eva, and Johanna Burton. Cindy Sherman. New York: Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2012. Print.
Rosenberg, Bonnie. "Cindy Sherman." TheArtStory.org. The Art Story Foundation, 2015. Web. 6 Jan. 2016. <http://www.theartstory.org/artist-sherman-cindy.htm>.
Sussler, Betsy. "Cindy Sherman." BOMB.Bomb—Artists in Conversation, Spring 1985. Web. 6 Jan. 2016. <http://bombmagazine.org/article/638/>.
Vogel, Carol. "Cindy Sherman Unmasked." New York Times. The New York Times Company, 16 Feb. 2012. Web. 6 Jan. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/arts/design/moma-to-showcase-cindy-shermans-new-and-old-characters.html>.