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Untitled
On View
Not on view
Object number2000.46

Untitled

Artist (American, 1954-)
Date1983
Mediumchromogenic print
Dimensionsframe: 45 3/4 × 34 1/4 × 2 1/2 in. (116.2 × 87 × 6.4 cm)
image: 34 × 23 in. (86.4 × 58.4 cm)
Credit LinePermanent Collection Fund
Exhibition History"New Accessions to the Permanent Collection," KIA Long Gallery (Dec. 7, 2002 - Feb. 23, 2003). "Looking at the Portrait," KIA Galleries 2&5 (Apr. 23 - July 3, 2005). "The Human Face: Portraits in Photography," KIA Long Gallery (May 5 - Aug. 28, 2007). "Lasting Legacy: A Collection for Kalamazoo," Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan (Sep. 6, 2014 - Jan. 4, 2015). "Framing Moments: Photography from KIA's Permanent Collection," KIA (Feb. 6 - May 16, 2021) "EXPO Chicago 2023" Chicago, Navy Pier (April 11 - 14, 2023).Label TextPostmodern artist Cindy Sherman deconstructs stereotypes about women by placing herself in the role as subject as well as artist. By constantly using herself as a model, she forces the viewer to reconsider ideas and beliefs about women and femininity. Her career is comprised of different series of works–from her Untitled Stills series of the late 1970s to her later impersonations of subjects of Old Master paintings. Using wigs, make-up and costumes, she continuously explores the connection between external appearance and the interpretation of an individual's identity and character. Sherman's Fashion series of 1983-84 emphasizes the contrived world of clothes, hair and style created by the fashion industry. The closely cropped image, dark background, dramatic pose and lighting of this work all echo conventional fashion photography. But Sherman subverts the concept of unattainable beauty by presenting a less than ideal image of a female dressed in shabby, outrageous clothes and a cheap wig.