Published for the opening of a touring exhibition in Los Angeles in October 1997, this volume offers insights into the work of photographer Cindy Sherman from several vantage points. Her art is placed within the trajectory of feminist history, revealing her influence since the 1970s.



Cindy Sherman is one of the leading American artists of our time, creating staged and manipulated photographs that draw upon popular culture and art history to explore female identity. By visually examining the ways in which gender is dressed, made up and culturally enforced, Sherman has for many become an icon of feminism and postmodernism. Provocative and engaging, the visceral physicality of her photographs is the key to their dramatic power.

In this retrospective, essayists Amada Cruz, Elizabeth A.T. Smith and Amelia Jones offer key insights from several distinct vantage points, positioning Sherman's work within the trajectory of feminist art history as well as revealing her influence on the art of the last twenty years. More than 270 images show the breadth of Sherman’s body of work, from the Untitled Film Stills of the 1970s to series such as Centrefolds, Fashion, Disasters, Fairy Tales and History Portraits, as well as photographs influenced by surreal artists.

Also included are intriguing excerpts from Sherman’s notebooks, selections from her contact sheets and numerous Polaroid studies, all of which shed light on the artist's process.

Cindy Sherman: Retrospective is an essential reference and guide to the work and ideas of this extraordinary artist.