Overview

This book, which accompanies a major exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, considers Cindy Sherman's oeuvre through the lens of portraiture. Featuring key examples of her work - from her earliest photographs through to her most recent - it explores the mercurial relationship between appearance and reality Cindy Sherman is among the most influential artists of her generation. Using herself as model, wearing a range of costumes and portraying herself in invented situations, she interrogates the imagery employed by the mass media, po pular culture and fine art. Television, advertising, magazines, fashion and Old Master paintings all form part of her visual language. Whether using make-up, costumes, props and prosthetics to manipulate her own appearance, or devising elaborate tableaux, her entire body of 40 years' work constitutes a highly distinctive response to contemporary and earlier culture, whose stylistic tropes she appropriates and quotes. This book will explore the rich cultural sources that Sherman plunders in creating provocative and ambiguous images that lead us to question the things we see. Sherman's work is surveyed through two related themes. Examining Sherman's art within the context of portraiture it explores the way that identity is constructed from appearance. It also considers the nature of Sherman's involvement with a range of styles by positioning her work in the context of the pre-existing imagery that she appropriates.

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9781855147126

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Reviews

''The National Portrait Gallery's Cindy Sherman exhibition showcases her witty, inventive and unexpectedly moving twists on female stereotypes.'' - Waldemar Januszczak, The Sunday Times ''From Manhattan dowager to gawky boy and everyone in between, Sherman gives a one-woman masterclass in the art of keeping up appearances.' ' - Laura Cumming, The Guardian '`Only rarely do artistic retrospectives feel as useful and perfectly judged as this.' ' - Waldemar Januszczak, The Sunday Times ''It's a wonderful show, which gives us a chance to get to grips with one of the most influential contemporary artists working today.'' - The Week '`Cindy Sherman was the selfie pioneer - we could learn a lot from her originality.' ' - Janet Street-Porter, The Independent ''It's a testament to [Sherman's] brilliance that you leave this highly entertaining exhibition still guessing about whether you've learnt everything or nothing about this remarkable artist.'' - Mark Hudson, The Daily Telegraph

''It's a testament to [Sherman's] brilliance that you leave this highly entertaining exhibition still guessing about whether you've learnt everything or nothing about this remarkable artist.'' - Mark Hudson, The Daily Telegraph '`Cindy Sherman was the selfie pioneer - we could learn a lot from her originality.' ' - Janet Street-Porter, The Independent ''It's a wonderful show, which gives us a chance to get to grips with one of the most influential contemporary artists working today.'' - The Week '`Only rarely do artistic retrospectives feel as useful and perfectly judged as this.' ' - Waldemar Januszczak, The Sunday Times ''From Manhattan dowager to gawky boy and everyone in between, Sherman gives a one-woman masterclass in the art of keeping up appearances.' ' - Laura Cumming, The Guardian ''The National Portrait Gallery's Cindy Sherman exhibition showcases her witty, inventive and unexpectedly moving twists on female stereotypes.'' - Waldemar Januszczak, The Sunday Times

Author Information

Paul Moorhouse is an independent curator and writer. Formerly Curator of Twentieth - Century Portraits and Head of Displays (Victorian to Contemporary) at the National Portrait Gallery , London , his publications include Howard Hodgkin: Absent Friends ( 2017 ) , Giacometti: Pure Presence (2015), The Great War in Portraits (2014), Cindy Sherman (2014), A Guide to Twentieth Century Portraits (2013), The Queen Art & Image (2011), Bridget Riley: From Life (2010), Gerhard Richter Portraits: Painting Appearances (2009) and Pop Art Portraits ( 2007). Raf Simons is the Chief Creative Officer of Calvin Klein. Simons leads the creative strategy of the CALVIN KLEIN brand globally and oversees all aspects of the Global Marketing and Communications, Visual Creative Services and Store Design.

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