Plan your visit to see Cindy Sherman →

• What is Cindy Sherman known for?+

  Cindy Sherman is known for her fabricated self-portraits in which she dresses up like Hollywood or Old Master stereotypes and photographs herself. Her early series, *Untitled Film Stills* from 1977-80, features her posing as film stars acting out different characters.
• What is Cindy Sherman's most famous work?+

  Cindy Sherman is best known for her series *Untitled Film Stills*, begun in 1977. In these black-and-white photographs, Sherman poses in ways that resemble film stills from B movies. Sherman creates a character and set for each photograph. She uses clothing, wigs, and props to transform herself so she is unrecognisable from one 10-by-8-inch still to the next. Sherman is always the actress, and her transformations represent the changes women undergo as they conform to societal stereotypes. These stereotypes are reinforced by mass media. In *Untitled Film Still # 15*, Sherman plays a sexy woman who seems to be waiting for a date. However, Sherman leaves the viewer guessing as to what is actually happening. She may suggest a narrative, but she never provides enough information to determine one securely. Sherman's work reveals the complex ways in which images become invested with meaning, and how viewers are programmed by the media to interpret them. In the 1980s, Sherman shifted to large-scale colour prints. In these, she masqueraded as both male and female characters derived from art masterpieces. She closely resembled a Holbein monk, Fragonard courtesan, or Van Eyck matron. However, the recreations were deliberately artificial, emphasising fakery with false noses, wigs, or latex.
• What should I know about Cindy Sherman's prints?+

  Cindy Sherman, born in 1954, is an American artist known for photographic self-portraits. She emerged in the New York art scene in the early 1980s, amid debates about authorship, originality, and the increasing commodification of art. Sherman's early work includes the *Untitled Film Stills* (1977-1980), a series of black and white photographs. In these, she poses as stereotypical B-movie heroines, referencing film noir clichés of the 1950s. These "sham images" often imply sex and violence, as well as the limitations of traditional female roles. In the 1980s, Sherman shifted to large-scale colour prints. She masqueraded as male and female characters derived from art masterpieces, such as Holbein monks, Fragonard courtesans, and van Eyck matrons. These re-creations are deliberately artificial, using obvious fakery such as false noses, wigs, or latex bosoms. Sherman has also created series such as *Centerfolds* (1981) and *Fashion* (1983-84). Sherman appropriates visual genres, including film stills, centrefolds, fashion photographs, historical portraits, and soft-core sex images. She disrupts the operations that define and maintain their respective codes of representation. Sherman has stated that her photographs are "pictures of emotions personified", with the goal of making "other people recognise something of themselves".
• What style or movement did Cindy Sherman belong to?+

  Cindy Sherman is associated with Postmodernism and the Pictures Generation. The Pictures Generation was a group of American artists who emerged in the late 1970s and 1980s. These artists, influenced by Conceptual Art and Pop Art, worked in various media, including photography and film. Sherman uses photography to explore social stereotypes and challenge notions of individuality. She alters her appearance with costumes, makeup, and props to investigate different stereotypes. Her work expresses concerns about the mass media's influence on individuals and society. Sherman is known for photographing herself in various guises, often referencing roles assumed by women in 1950s and 1960s cinema. For example, her series *Untitled Film Stills* (1977-80) presents stereotypical female characters from films of that era. Through these self-portraits, Sherman invites viewers to question the nature of identity and representation.
• What techniques or materials did Cindy Sherman use?+

  Cindy Sherman is known for her photographic self-portraits, in which she adopts various guises. In the 1970s, she created black-and-white photographs resembling film stills from the 1950s film noir genre. These images often featured Sherman as a terrified young woman, alluding to themes of sex, violence, and the limited roles available to women. During the 1980s, Sherman shifted to large-scale colour prints. In these, she impersonated male and female characters inspired by art history. Although she closely resembled figures such as a Holbein monk or a Fragonard courtesan, the recreations were intentionally artificial. She used obvious props such as false noses, wigs, and latex breasts to emphasise the constructed nature of the images. Sherman acts as the director and star of her photographic tableaux. She heavily disguises herself and acts out narratives drawn from cinema or art history. Her later works from the 1980s became more exaggerated, sometimes incorporating dismembered bodies or pornographic prosthetics.
• When did Cindy Sherman live and work?+

  Cindy Sherman was born on 19 January 1954 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. She is an American artist who emerged in the New York art scene in the early 1980s. Sherman attended State University College, Buffalo, graduating in 1976. The following year, she moved to New York. Sherman is known for photographic self-portraits, in which she dresses as Hollywood or Old Master stereotypes. In the late 1970s, she created the series *Untitled Film Stills*, black-and-white photographs based on film noir clichés from the 1950s. During the 1980s, Sherman shifted to large-scale colour prints, masquerading as male and female characters derived from art masterpieces. Sherman currently lives in New York and is working on a feature-length horror film.
• Where was Cindy Sherman from?+

  Cindy Sherman was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, on 19 January 1954. She is an American artist known for photographic self-portraits, often in costume. Sherman graduated from State University College, Buffalo, in 1976. The following year, she moved to New York. In the early 1980s, Sherman emerged onto the New York art scene. She was part of a new generation of artists interested in media representation. Her reputation was established on the basis of her *Untitled Film Stills*, a series of black-and-white photographs from the late 1970s. In them, the artist depicted herself dressed as stereotypical B-movie heroines. Sherman's photographs made throughout the mid-1980s continued this theme. Her *Centerfolds* (1981) and *Fashion* (1983-84) series elaborated the codes of female representation. Feeling pigeonholed by feminist discourse, Sherman gradually dispensed with representations of women. She moved toward more fantastic imagery, as in her *Fairy Tales* and *Disasters* series from the mid-to-late 1980s. Sherman currently lives in New York.
• Who did Cindy Sherman influence?+

  Cindy Sherman emerged in the New York art scene during the early 1980s. She was part of a generation interested in representation codes within a media-saturated era. Sherman studied at State University College, Buffalo, graduating in 1976. She moved to New York the following year when Modernist authority faced scrutiny. Her work was quickly embraced in the early 1980s within contemporary feminist critique. Sherman is associated with the Pictures Generation, a group of American artists who experiment with media to explore social stereotypes. These artists challenge individuality and originality notions. Sherman began using photography and film after finding painting restrictive. She uses props, make-up, and costumes to alter her appearance and investigate stereotypes. Sherman's work has influenced artists such as Sarah Lucas and Katharina Sieverding. Lucas, one of the Young British Artists of the 1990s, creates self-portraits that explore the objectification of the female body. Sieverding's early photographic work features large-scale, close-up self-portraits, varying makeup, lighting, and focus.
• Who influenced Cindy Sherman?+

  Cindy Sherman's influences are diverse, ranging from European film stars to Old Master paintings. In an interview, Sherman mentioned Jeanne Moreau, Brigitte Bardot, and Sophia Loren as inspirations for her Untitled Film Stills. She was drawn to their portrayals of more vulnerable, working-class characters, unlike the glamorised American actresses of the same period. Sherman's work also shows the impact of cinema, particularly film noir, with its clichéd images of terrified women. She created imaginary black-and-white movie stills based on these stereotypes, often implying sex and violence. These images explored the limitations of traditional female roles, where women were often portrayed as victims. In the 1980s, Sherman shifted to large-scale colour prints, masquerading as both male and female characters derived from art masterpieces. While she closely resembled figures from Holbein, Fragonard, or van Eyck, the recreations were deliberately artificial, using obvious fakery to emphasise the constructed nature of the images.
• Who was Cindy Sherman?+

  Cindy Sherman, born in 1954, is an American artist who wanted people to question what they saw, particularly in movies. She is known for her *Untitled Film Stills* series from 1977 to 1980, where she posed as fictional actresses.
• Why are Cindy Sherman's works important today?+

  Cindy Sherman, born in 1954, is important for her photographic work exploring identity, representation, and the influence of media. Beginning in 1977, Sherman created series such as *Untitled Film Stills*, where she photographed herself in guises reminiscent of B-movie stills. In these black-and-white photographs, Sherman embodies various female characters: a spurned lover, a Bond girl, or a housewife. She uses costumes, makeup, and settings to transform herself, becoming almost unrecognisable from one image to the next. Sherman's consistent presence as the actress in these photographs is conceptually significant. Her transformations represent how women conform to societal stereotypes reinforced by mass media. Sherman's work prompts viewers to question the meaning they assign to images. She suggests narratives, but never provides enough information to confirm them. The viewer's interpretation reveals more about their own background and experiences than the photograph itself. Sherman's art reveals the complex ways images acquire meaning and how media programming shapes our interpretations. Her postmodern approach treats art history as a source of styles and images, remixing them to create contemporary hybrids.
• What was Cindy Sherman's art style?+

  Cindy Sherman's art style involves fabricated self-portraits where she dresses up as Hollywood or Old Master stereotypes. In the 1970s, she created imaginary black-and-white movie stills based on film noir clichés.