Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Cindy Sherman (b. 1954) is her own subject matter. One of the most celebrated female artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries she has, for a period spanning more than thirty years, used make-up, prosthetics and props to present herself in the guise of numerous different personae, placed in contexts that draw on the visual conventions of film, television and the media. Such settings and characters invite the viewer to consider the relation of appearance and identity and also the way in which female stereotypes have been perpetuated not only by the media but also by the art world itself.

This book introduces some of Sherman's most important works, from her seminal 1970s series Untitled Film Stills , which references film noir movies by such directors as Alfred Hitchcock and Jacques Tourneur, to her progression into colour photography in the 1980s series Centerfolds . It also follows her decision to remove herself from the picture by allowing her props and prosthetics alone to represent the subjects that she wished to critique, such as pornography and war photography.

In the last decade Sherman has reintroduced herself into her work, for example in her History Portraits where she playfully appropriates the subjects of the Old Masters, as well as introducing us to a whole new cast of characters in her Clowns and Headshots (or Hollywood/Hampton Types ). It also presents her most recent pieces - large-scale murals and photographs, in which more ambiguous identities are played out within epic landscapes.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

The latest volume in the Phaidon Focus series aims to be the authoritative guide to Cindy Sherman, a photographer known for her provocative take on self-portraiture. Sherman dons a variety of costumes, using prosthetics, apparel, and setting to evoke historical portraits, headshots, and a variety of characters both human and monstrous. This book situates Sherman's early career path, mentioning her move to New York with then-boyfriend and fellow-artist Robert Longo in 1977 as well as commissions by Vogue and Artforum. Art critic Moorhouse (Gerhard Richter: Painting Appearances) illuminates Sherman's career with biographical tidbits like her adolescent interest in documentation, explicates distinct series of photographs, and eloquently describes the most enduring analyses of her work; however, he exhibits a tendency to give these analyses totemic weight, rather than allowing for multiple interpretations to work that defies any single meaning. Moorhouse also dramatizes Sherman's own aging as an integral aspect of her later work which adds a strange subtext to a body of work that seems to blast media portrayals and targeting of women. Overall, this book provides an illuminating take on Sherman's career that firmly grounds this artist in the contemporary canon. Color photos. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Paul Moorhouse is Curator of Twentieth Century Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery, London. From 1985 to 2005, he was Curator, Modern Collection, latterly Senior Curator, Contemporary Art, at Tate.

His many exhibitions include: 'The Queen: Art and Image' (2012), 'Gerhard Richter Portraits' (2009) and 'Pop Art Portraits' (2007-8) at the National Portrait Gallery, and 'Anthony Caro' (2005), 'John Latham' (2005), 'Bridget Riley' (2003), 'Michael Andrews' (2001) and 'Leon Kossoff' (1995) at Tate.

He also curated 'Warhol/Icon' at the Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens (2009), 'John Hoyland' (1999) at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, and 'Francis Bacon' (1996) at Millenium Galleries, Sheffield. Recent books include: Anthony Caro: Presence (2010), Bridget Riley: From Life (2010), the award-winning Gerhard Richter: Painting Appearances (2009), Pop Art Portraits (2007), Interpreting Caro (2005) and Richard Long: Walking the Line (2003).