Cindy Sherman - The Sky In A Room New York Friday, August 11, 2017 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures, New York
    Sotheby’s, New York, May 15, 2013, lot 403
    Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

  • Literature

    Gabriele Schor, Cindy Sherman: The Early Works 1975-1977, Ostfildern, no. 52, pp. 264-267 (illustrated)

  • Artist Biography

    Cindy Sherman

    American • 1954

    Seminal to the Pictures Generation as well as contemporary photography and performance art, Cindy Sherman is a powerhouse art practitioner.  Wily and beguiling, Sherman's signature mode of art making involves transforming herself into a litany of characters, historical and fictional, that cross the lines of gender and culture. She startled contemporary art when, in 1977, she published a series of untitled film stills.

    Through mise-en-scène​ and movie-like make-up and costume, Sherman treats each photograph as a portrait, though never one of herself. She embodies her characters even if only for the image itself. Presenting subversion through mimicry, against tableaus of mass media and image-based messages of pop culture, Sherman takes on both art history and the art world.

    Though a shape-shifter, Sherman has become an art world celebrity in her own right. The subject of solo retrospectives across the world, including a blockbuster showing at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and a frequent exhibitor at the Venice Biennale among other biennials, Sherman holds an inextricable place in contemporary art history.

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43

Murder Mystery

each signed and dated "Cindy Sherman 1976" on the reverse
gelatin silver print cut-outs mounted on paper board, in 6 parts
(i-ii) 16 1/2 x 21 1/2 in. (41.9 x 54.6 cm.)
(iii - vi) 21 1/2 x 16 1/2 in. (54.6 x 41.9 cm.)

Executed in 1976, this work is unique.

Contact Specialist
Sale Enquiries Charlotte Pettit
+1 212 940 1300
cpettit@phillips.com

The Sky In A Room

New York Selling Exhibition 14 July – 11 August 2017