Cindy Sherman 1975-1993

by Rosalind E. Krauss

Discussing in detail each of the influential photographer's works from "Untitled Film Stills" through "Sex Pictures," with numerous reproductions in both black and white and color, this remains one of the most important and comprehesive studies of Sherman's career.
Cindy Sherman is unquestionably one of the most significant artists working today. Her career and her art embody two of the most important developments in art of the last decade: the impact of postmodern thinking on the art world and the rise of photography and its mass-media techniques as a powerful means of expression for fine artists. In this first presentation of the artist's complete work, leading contemporary art historian Rosalind Krauss reviews Cindy Sherman's remarkable series of photographic works - in which the artist has notoriously assumed various roles, from B-movie starlet to Old Master model - and the enormous influence these works have had on feminist thinking and on current dialogues about the strategies of contemporary art in general. Almost perversely, Krauss argues, Sherman's unsettling attempts to dissect the formation and perception of images have turned her artworks - and herself - into icons for feminists' and others' agendas. Krauss explores in depth the various approaches to Sherman's work taken by philosophers and art historians and asks if they have not often lost sight of the imagery itself - or, more specifically, the way the images are constructed. Examining Sherman's use of photographic techniques, from camera angles (the famed Centerfolds series, for example) to specific styles of lighting. Sherman's most recent, horror-show images of mannequins (known as the Sex Picture) and identifies their place in her continued out-of-body investigations. bibliography and chronology, 200 + illustrations (140 in color),numerous unpublished works, represents Sherman's complete career to date.

Genres: Art, Photography

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

American art critic, professor, and theorist who is based at Columbia University, teaching Modern Art and Theory.

Reviews

[Alfonso de Castro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se trata de una recopilación de los trabajos de la fotógrafa Cindy Sherman, considerada la referencia de la posmodernidad en fotografía. Es una edición muy cuidada, con fotografías cuidadosamente impresas.
Muy interesante el texto de Rosalind Krauss así como el ensayo de Norman Bryson.

[Madison Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pictures are fantastic, but the commentary was so pretentious that it was unreadable. I’m still glad I engaged with this book though. I’ve been interested in Sherman since first reading about her in a high school art book, and became interested again recently when I learned that she did cover art for Babes in Toyland. The late 80s and early 90s sections in particular appealed to me —it’s so visceral and shocking and nasty and powerful. I can’t compare it to anything else I’ve seen before. Her photography looks like how Babes in Toyland sound, which explains their brilliant collaboration. Since the text of this book wasn’t good, I’ll be on the hunt for another book that tells Sherman’s story better. But I’m glad I got to explore her work through these excellent prints.