Not currently on display at the V&A

Untitled, 1979/89

Photograph
1989 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Sherman, Cindy (photographer)
Place of origin
USA (made)

Sherman became prominent in contemporary art during the late 1970s. She uses a form of self-portraiture to analyse the ways femininity is constructed in popular culture. By employing carefully constructed scenery and a wide range of accessories and attributes, Sherman adopts a multitude of identities in her photographs. Her self portrayal is both a criticism of stereotypical imagery and a deconstruction of the mechanisms involved in defining female roles.


Object details

Categories
Portraits
Photographs
Object type
Photograph
TitleUntitled, 1979/89 (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Dye destruction print
Brief description
Photograph by Cindy Sherman from a portfolio entitled 'The Indomitable Spirit: Photographers + Friends United Against AIDS'. USA, 1989.
Physical description
Sherman, with blonde hair, sunglasses, wearing a lacey dressing gown, smoking a cigarette, is sitting in a garden on white garden furniture, painting her toenails.
Dimensions
  • Image height: 467mm
  • Image width: 590mm
  • Sheet height: 517mm
  • Sheet width: 610mm
Gallery label
  • Photography Centre, 2018-20: Cindy Sherman (born 1954) Untitled 1979/89 1980 Sherman uses self-portraiture to explore how femininity is represented in popular culture. She seeks to challenge clichéd representations of women by taking a subversive approach. She photographs herself adopting different stereotypically female identities, donning accessories and posing in carefully staged environments. Here, the dressing-gown clad character embodied by Sherman smokes covertly while painting her nails. C-type print Museum no. E.336-1994
  • Sherman uses a form of self-portraiture to analyse the ways femininity is constructed in popular culture. She adopts a multitude of identities in her photographs by employing carefully staged scenery and a wide range of accessories and attributes. Her self-portrayal is both a criticism of stereotypical imagery and a deconstruction of the mechanisms involved in defining female roles.(11/08/2011-27/11/2011)
Object history
Published by the charity Photographers + Friends United Against AIDS
Summary
Sherman became prominent in contemporary art during the late 1970s. She uses a form of self-portraiture to analyse the ways femininity is constructed in popular culture. By employing carefully constructed scenery and a wide range of accessories and attributes, Sherman adopts a multitude of identities in her photographs. Her self portrayal is both a criticism of stereotypical imagery and a deconstruction of the mechanisms involved in defining female roles.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.336-1994

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Record createdSeptember 22, 2008
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O167263/untitled-197989-photograph-sherman-cindy/
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