Cindy Sherman (American, b. 1954) is celebrated as one of the most influential figures in contemporary art. Over her career, she has conducted a profound and provocative investigation into the construction of identity and the nature of representation, drawing inspiration from a vast array of visual sources, including movies, television, magazines, the Internet, and art history. For more than three decades, Sherman has served as both the subject and creator of her work, portraying a wide range of personas that are often simultaneously humorous and unsettling, grotesque and poignant. To craft her photographs, she takes on multiple roles: photographer, model, makeup artist, hairstylist, stylist, and costume designer. Armed with an array of wigs, costumes, makeup, prosthetics, and props, she transforms herself and her settings to create captivating tableaus and characters, from glamorous screen sirens to clowns and aging socialites.

This retrospective exhibition features over 170 photographs, tracing Sherman’s career from the mid-1970s to the present. Key series include the iconic “Untitled Film Stills” (1977–80), black-and-white images depicting Sherman in archetypal female roles inspired by 1950s and 1960s Hollywood, film noir, and European art-house films. Other highlights include her elaborate "History Portraits" (1989–90), where she channels figures like aristocrats, clergymen, and milkmaids in the style of old master paintings, and her "Society Portraits" (2008), which confront themes of aging amidst contemporary preoccupations with youth and status. The exhibition explores recurring themes in Sherman’s work, such as artifice and fiction, cinema and performance, horror and the grotesque, myth and fairy tale, and questions of gender and class identity. Also featured are her recent photographic murals (2010), debuting in the United States at MoMA.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Sherman has curated a selection of films from MoMA’s collection, which will be shown in the museum’s theaters. A comprehensive publication accompanies the exhibition.

The exhibition is organized by Eva Respini, Associate Curator, with Lucy Gallun, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Photography.

Header image: Gelatin silver print, 7 1/2 x 9 1/2" (19.1 x 24.1 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Horace W. Goldsmith Fund through Robert B. Menschel © 2012 Cindy Sherman

View an archived version of the exhibition website

Cindy Sherman

Feb 26–Jun 11, 2012

Relevant: A Complete list of the Top 100 Contemporary Artists