At London’s “The Independent,” Charles Darwent gives an unflattering review of Sherman’s latest portrait exhibit:
“Repellent is, I think, not too strong a word for Cindy Sherman’s latest suite of portraits, five of which are on show at her London gallery.”
“Her portraits, in not really being portraits, seem to set out to fool us – to convince us that they are representations of other people when they are all of Sherman herself. Given the post-Renaissance belief that portraiture has a duty to reveal hidden truths, this seems particularly heinous. You might see Sherman as having a moral intent: the camera proverbially never lies, but hers does nothing but. In a world increasingly defined by pictures – the millions of images thrown at us daily by television, print media and the internet – it is a useful lesson, although one we have already been taught by, say, the staged street-shots of Jeff Wall. For all their upfront status as art objects de luxe, Sherman’s portraits wear their fakery on their sleeve.”
The exhibit is at Sprüth Magers until May 29. Follow the links and reach your own opinion:
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