Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman is the art world's master of disguise, a veritable human chameleon who has been every woman from a B-movie starlet to a grotesque clown. She is the sole actress, director, and photographer in her work, transforming herself so completely that her own parents might not recognize her. Rumor has it that as a child, she eschewed princess costumes for the thrill of being an "ugly old witch," a clear sign of the delightful weirdness to come. Another whispered tale suggests she would occasionally show up to her mundane secretarial job dressed as a nurse or Jackie Kennedy, just for kicks. While her "Untitled Film Stills" made her famous, she later reveled in creating images so bizarre—think prosthetic body parts and artfully arranged vomit—that a commission from a major magazine was allegedly too scared to publish it. So, is she a feminist icon deconstructing female stereotypes or just having the world's most elaborate and expensive game of dress-up? The art world can't quite decide, and Sherman, a notorious avoider of interviews, certainly isn't telling.