Nothing is rarely sweeter than London’s art scene. With concurrent exhibitions by some of the industry’s great, our galleries never fail to disappoint. Of no exception is the National Portrait Gallery nestled within the majestic setting of Trafalgar Square. Entirely devoted to portraiture, the gallery houses the largest selection of portraits in the world. From renaissance artwork to controversial modern-day images, you’re always in for a treat – even if solely for a glimpse of the gallery’s magnificent interior.
One particular proverbial treat is Cindy Sherman’s first British retrospective and self-titled exhibition. Hailed as one of the most significant shows in recent times, The Sunday Times reviews, “Only rarely do artistic retrospectives feel as useful and perfectly judged as this.”
Born and raised in the United States, Sherman is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest contemporary self-portraiture artists. Famed for her artistry that delves into the imagination of fictitious characters to present herself in surreal contexts evoking a sense of ambiguity. Sherman’s use of costumes, make up, props and prosthetics define her approach and often-complex photography.
The exhibition features over 190 pieces exploring the evolution of Sherman’s work from the mid 1970s to the present day. Including rarely exhibited films and photographs never seen before in the U.K., notable pieces are those created whilst Sherman studied art at the State University College at Buffalo from 1972 to 1976.
Curated from both private and public international collections, new pieces of work such as the 2019 Untitled #602 in collaboration with fashion designer Stella McCartney, will further feature. Granting a rare glimpse into Sherman’s process and delivery of work, the exhibition will also document Sherman’s New York studio.
Audiences will particularly thrill at the first-ever U.K. public display of the groundbreaking Untitled Film Stills, 1977-80. Completed just after Sherman moved to New York in 1977, it is considered one of her most-significant artistic statements to future define her approach albeit receiving widespread critical recognition at the time.
Encompassing 70 black and white images, the work pictures Sherman modelling a series of hairstyles and costumes encapsulating themes of film noir, European art-house films, B movies and 1950s and 1960s Hollywood. Challenging then conventions of cinema, Sherman’s fictional situations were photographed in a way that delivered a layer of artifice never seen before.
Further highlights will include the Cover Girl series completed shortly after Sherman’s graduation from art school that will displayed together for the first time since 1976. Important collections such as Centrefolds, Fairy Tales, Flappers, History Portraits, Rear Screen Projections, Fashion, Sex Pictures, Masks, Headshots, Clowns and Society Portraits will further form the exhibition. Cindy Book will be displayed in digital form – the never-seen-before family album of photographs compiled by Sherman from the age of eight demonstrates the artist’s early intrigue into appearance and changing form.
Paul Moorhouse, curator of Cindy Sherman comments, “Cindy Sherman’s art is completely distinctive. By inventing fictitious characters and photographing herself in imaginary situations, she inhabits a world of pure appearance. No other artist interrogates the illusions presented by modern culture in such a penetrating way.”
Cindy Sherman exhibits at the National Portrait Gallery from 27 June – 15 September 2019
National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London WC2H
npg.org.uk
The National Portrait Gallery is approximately less than one mile from The Leicester Square Apartment.
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