Cindy Sherman sets auction record for photography

22 May 2011
Cindy Sherman, Untitled, color coupler print, executed in 1981

click to enlarge

Cindy Sherman, Untitled, color coupler print, executed in 1981
(Cindy Sherman / Christie's)

Art advisor Philippe Segalot reportedly purchased Cindy Sherman’s (b. 1954) “Untitled #96″ at a Christie’s auction in New York in May for $3.89 million, a record amount for a photograph at auction.

“Untitled #96″ is one in the "Centerfolds" series of ten photographs commissioned in 1981, but never used, by Artforum magazine.

The image shows the artist herself bathed in an orange glow and seductively posed on a linoleum kitchen floor clutching a crumpled personal ad. Sherman's series questioned the role of women in society and as represented by media.

The photograph had a pre-sale estimate of $1.5-2 million.

 




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