By Gwen Allen 

In 1981 Cindy Sherman was commissioned to contribute a special project to Artforum magazine. Given a two-page spread to work with, she chose to explore the erotic centerfold—a standard feature of men’s “lifestyle” magazines ever since it was established by Playboy in the mid-1950s. Sherman created twelve large-scale horizontal photographs of herself appearing as various young (often reclining) women in private moments of melancholic reverie, longing, or waiting. “I wanted a man opening up the magazine to suddenly look at it in expectation of something lascivious,” the artist explained, “and then feel like the violator that they would be.” 48 pp.; 35 illus.

 

Each volume in the One on One series is a sustained meditation of a single work from the collection of The Museum of Modern Art. A richly illustrated and lively essay illuminates the subject in detail and situates that work within the artist’s life and career as well as within broader historical contexts. This series is an invaluable guide for exploring and interpreting some of the most beloved artworks in the Museum’s collection. View the entire series here.