The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents the history of nude in photography in Naked before the Camera, now through Sep 9. Depicting the human body—even in generalized or idealized renderings—triggers impassioned discussions about sin, sexuality, cultural identity and canons of beauty; especially when the chosen medium is photography, with its inherent accuracy and specificity. This exhibition of more than 60 photographs, selected from the museum’s collection, surveys the history of this subject and explores some of the motivations and meanings that underlie photographers’ fascination with the nude.
The Cindy Sherman retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art through Jun 11 brings together more than 170 of Sherman’s photographs, tracing the artist’s career from the mid-1970s to the present. To create her photographs, Sherman assumes multiple roles of photographer, model, makeup artist, hairdresser, stylist and wardrobe mistress. With an arsenal of wigs, costumes, makeup, prosthetics and props, Sherman deftly alters her physique and surroundings to create intriguing tableaux and characters, from screen siren to clown to aging socialite
