About this artwork
Cindy Sherman began her Clowns series of photographs in 2003. As a logical progression of her interest in dressing up, the photographs explore the range of emotions that can lie behind the painted face of a clown. The series was inspired by an article of clothing, a pair of pyjamas with fur-like buttons, which the artist purchased at a yard sale. In this photograph, the clown’s outfit of a rather frumpy patterned skirt and frilled blouse seems to be at odds with her riotous make-up and cowboy hat. While the costume and hand suggest a middle-aged woman, the face is dramatically different. The digitally-manipulated background to the clown refers to traditional, brightly-coloured circus posters.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Cindy Sherman (born 1954) American
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title:Untitled #410
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date created:2003
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materials:Colour photograph on pvc board
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measurements:141.00 x 101.50 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased with assistance from Art Fund and the Patrons of the National Galleries of Scotland, 2004
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accession number:GMA 4722
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gallery:
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glossary:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
Cindy Sherman
Cindy Sherman
Cindy Sherman first came to prominence in the late 1970s with her Untitled Film Stills, a series of black and white photographs in which Sherman adopts stereotypical female characters from classic 1950s Hollywood films and B-movies. During the 1980s Sherman continued to examine archetypal images of...