Cindy Sherman: Celebrated American Photographer

Read about the life and work of Cindy Sherman, one of the world's most celebrated photo artists.

Born on January 19, 1954 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, the artist abandoned painting for photography while attending the State University of New York at Buffalo, and in 1976 she moved to New York to pursue a career as a photographer. Arguably, her most important work is Untitled Film Stills, a series of black-and-white photographs which feature the artist herself as a model in various costumes and poses and are her portrayals of female stereotypes found in film, television, and advertising.

During her 40-plus-year career, Cindy Sherman has become one of the most recognized artists in the contemporary art world. Her conceptual portraits are elaborate productions where she is both the model and director. They are marked with her trademark, exaggerated hair, makeup, and wardrobe. This way Sherman is able to depict herself as multiple characters - housewives, actresses, historical figures, etc.- completely breaking down the stereotypical societal depictions of women and men.

In 1995, she was named the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the genius grant. In 2012, the Museum of Modern Art in New York presented an exhibit that showed over 150 of Sherman’s photographs, starting from the mid 1970’s. The show traveled to the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and then the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She has also done a lot of work in the fashion industry, creating ads for companies such as Balenciaga, Comme des Garcons, and Marc Jacobs.

Have you ever seen her work before? What did you think about it?

Learn more about portrait photography on Domestika:
Online Photography & Video Courses
The Life and Legacy of Dorothea Lange: Capturing America's Struggles, by @whitney_ryan
Richard Avedon: A Century of Portrait Photography, by @sukopyramid