the broad presents cindy sherman: imitation of life exhibition in los angeles

‘cindy sherman: imitation of life’ – a retrospective of the artist’s four-decade career – is on display at contemporary art museum the broad, in downtown los angeles. organized by guest curator philipp kaiser and presented in the home city of the filmmaking industry, the exhibition showcases sherman’s engagement with 20th century popular film and celebrity, drawing on cinema’s role in the shaping of identity and stereotypes.

the exhibition opens with two massive full-wall murals—newly conceived by the artist for this exhibition

the exhibition, which runs through to october 2nd at the broad, fills the museum’s first-floor galleries with an expansive representation of cindy sherman’s photographs. playing a central conceptual role in the show are sherman’s widely known ‘untitled film stills’, in which the artist poses as her own model in a variety of nostalgic yet rigorously conceived scenes reminiscent of b-movies of the 1950s and 60s. 

the artist is featured in nearly every work, depicting a range of media-influenced female stereotypes

the exhibition opens with two massive full-wall murals—newly conceived by the artist for this exhibition—that reimagine sherman’s 1980 rear-screen projection photographs, which were inspired by techniques and archetypes in midcentury cinema. the show closes with new photographs produced this year and never before seen in los angeles that focus on 1920s film publicity photos of ageing starlets.

the artist poses as her own model in a variety of nostalgic yet rigorously conceived scenes

sherman’s pioneering work combines photography and performance art. the artist is featured in nearly every work, depicting a range of media-influenced female stereotypes and personas, environments and guises. shooting alone in her studio, sherman serves as makeup-up artist, hairstylist, model, director and photographer. her decades-long performative practice has produced many of contemporary art’s most iconic and influential images. through her works, sherman raises powerful questions about identity, representation and the role of images in contemporary culture. from screen siren and pin-up to socialite and businesswoman, the roles sherman depicts through her monumental body of work provocatively engage with contemporary life’s mediated personas and stereotypes, drawing not only from art history but also from the histories of advertising, cinema and media. 

cindy sherman, untitled #92, 1981, chromogenic color print, 24 x 48 inches, the eli and edythe l. broad collection,
courtesy of the artist and metro pictures

cindy sherman, untitled #70, 1980, chromogenic color print, object: 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.96 cm) © cindy sherman,
courtesy of the artist and metro pictures

cindy sherman, untitled film still #47, 1979, gelatin silver print, 8 x 10 inches, the broad art foundation,
courtesy of the artist and metro pictures

cindy sherman, untitled #122, 1983, chromogenic color print, 35 1/4 x 21 1/4 in. (89.54 x 53.98 cm)
© cindy sherman, courtesy of the artist and metro pictures

sherman’s clown series embodies the artist’s practice in adapting to different expressions 

sherman’s work from 201o to 2011 are inspired by the silent film era

sherman’s work from 201o to 2011 are inspired by the silent film era, exploring themes of class and age, while returning emphatically to subjects that emerge directly from film. by recalling a past era, these latest photos solidify not only the influences in the artist’s work but also cinema’s long supporting role in shaping our identities.