Who

Debatably the most famous living art photographer, Cindy Sherman makes lots of money playing dress-up for her self-portraits.

Backstory

Long Island native Sherman went to college at SUNY Buffalo, where she says she failed her first photography class after having trouble figuring out how to use a camera. She soldiered on and eventually passed the class, and moved to the city in the mid-'70s after graduation. Sherman caused an art-world ruckus in the early 1980s with her series "Untitled Film Stills," featuring herself posing as stock female characters like vamps, noir-movie victims, and girls next door in fictional B-movies; feminists immediately embraced the photos as brilliantly acid critiques on both the representation of women in popular culture and women's actual societal roles. Sherman continued in a similar vein through the 1980s, gradually turning to more shocking imagery, including dummies having sex. In 1987, a major show at the Whitney generated critical encomia—the Times called her "a simulationist par excellence" and "an originator of the post-modern attack on originality." A decade later, a retrospective at the MoMA cemented her status as one of the most important figures in contemporary photography. Despite her success, Sherman is still represented by the relatively low-profile Metro Pictures, where she's shown since 1980.

Of note

An icon for young female photographers, Sherman is studied in gender studies classes everywhere. After experimenting with a number of different styles, in recent years she's returned to both role-playing and self-portraits: In 2004, she exhibited a series of photos of herself dressed up as a clown, and in a 2005 series, she depicted herself as various working stiffs. Meanwhile, her vintage photos have become some of the priciest on the planet: In May 2007, "Untitled No. 92" (one of her "Film Stills" series) sold at a Christie's auction for $2.1 million. Her work is owned by billionaires (François Pinault), new-money hedge fund managers (Adam Sender), prominent dealers (Dominique Lévy), and lines the hallways at some of the largest companies (Microsoft).

Shill

Sherman starred in a series of ads for Marc Jacobs in 2006.

Trophy case

She was awarded a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" in 1995.

Personal

Sherman was married to New York video artist Michel Auder for 15 years before divorcing him in 1999. She's currently dating David Byrne. In 2005, she sold her Mercer Street loft to actor/Simpsons voice Hank Azaria for $4.7 million, and moved to a two-story, 5,000-square-foot condo on Washington Street in the West Village.

No joke

Sherman's boxing instructor has described her as "fast and aggressive" in the ring. She trains at the Tribeca Sports Center with Carlos Ferrer, the former personal trainer to Naomi Campbell.