Cindy Sherman

Profile/CV

Cindy Sherman Biography - ArtLyst

Cindy Sherman was born in New Jersey in 1954. She studied visual arts at Buffalo State College, where she started painting than abandoned the medium for photography.

By turning the camera on herself,Cindy Sherman has built a name as one of the most respected photographers of the late twentieth century. Although, the majority of her photographs are self portraits, these photographs are most definitely not self-portraits. Rather, Sherman uses herself as a vehicle for commentary on a variety of issues of the modern world: the role of the woman, the role of the artist and many more. It is through these ambiguous and eclectic photographs that Sherman has developed a distinct signature style.

Through a number of different series of works, Sherman has raised challenging and important questions about the role and representation of women in society, the media and the nature of the creation of art.

She explained to the New York Times in 1990, "I feel I'm anonymous in my work. When I look at the pictures, I never see myself; they aren't self-portraits. Sometimes I disappear."

In 1995, Sherman was the recipient of one of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowships, popularly known as the "Genius Awards." This fellowship grants $500,000 over five years, no strings attached, to important scholars in a wide range of fields, to encourage their future creative work.