Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman

11 November – 6 January 2001

Cindy Sherman's most recent photographic works are color portraits of women confronted with middle age and their own distorted notions of beauty. With poignancy and humor, each portrait conveys the sense of spent youth. In some, the result of this expenditure is a failed life, the notion of not having 'made it,' leaving the remnants of meager and decadent existences. In others, these aging women display their integrity, appearing almost defiant and comfortable with the image they present to the audience.

Sherman is a performer, using her face and body as the stage, and each portrait is a vignette. Adding to the complexity, Sherman leaves the prosthetic noses, fake eyebrows, and artificial breasts obviously forged, undermining the believability of the carefully suggested narrative, and forcing the viewer to confront the staged aspect of the work.

Sherman's work was recently the subject of a large retrospective exhibition organized by MOCA-Los Angeles and MCA-Chicago. One of the most admired and influential artists of her generation, Sherman's work is represented in numerous major museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, which acquired a complete set of her Untitled Film Stills in 1996. The recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship in 1995, Sherman lives and works in New York City.