Robert Longo, Cindy, 2002, lithograph on paper, 46 × 30 inches. Museum purchase, 2005.14.64. © Robert Longo / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. This print depicting artist Cindy Sherman relates to a series of drawings titled Men in the Cities that Longo began in 1979. Longo photographed his friends stretching, falling, flailing, and dancing in the corporate attire that would come to define the 1980s. Appropriating his own photographs to begin to abstract the figurative, the prints and drawings convey a neo-noir film aesthetic, a strong influence for the artist at the time, and employ stark black, white, and grey tones to give the image an unreal quality. Of being a participant in the series, Sherman stated in 2009: “I see youthful optimism. Creating these poses became a sort of dance, and I think that’s why I remember having such a good time. ”
Chelsea’s Take
Grant Manager Chelsea Rudisill tells us why this is her favorite work in the Collection:
I love the feel of motion. She seems like she’s about to break free of her oppression and take on the world.
Robert Longo, Cindy, 2002, lithograph on paper, edition 2/120, publisher: Brooke Alexander, Inc., 46 × 30 inches. Museum purchase, 2005.14.64. © Robert Longo / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.
