Cindy Sherman: In brief

Born in New Jersey on 19 January 1954. As a child, often dressed up as old women.

1976 Studies art at Buffalo State College, at first failing the photography course.

1977-80 Creates Untitled Film Stills, 69 self-portraits of female movie stereotypes.

1980s In addition to her film stills, Sherman has appropriated a number of other visual forms—the centerfold, fashion photograph, historical portrait, and soft-core sex image.

Between 1989 and 1990, Sherman made 35 large, color photographs restaging the settings of various European portrait paintings of the fifteenth through early 19th centuries under the title History Portraits.

2000s Between 2003 and 2004, Sherman produced the Clowns cycle . In 2017, she collaborated on a "selfie" project with WMagazine that was based on the concept of the "plandid," or "the planned candid photograph". Sherman utilized a variety of photo-correction apps to create her Instagram portraits .

She says: "I want to look like just an average, ordinary person."

“I wish I could treat every day as Halloween, and get dressed up and go out into the world assome eccentric character."

They say: "Since she started dressing up for her camera, her lead has been followed ad infinitum." - US art critic Roberta Smit