Untitled #93
Untitled #93 is a color photograph created by Cindy Sherman in 1981. It is part of her Centerfolds series of 12 photographs made for the Artforum magazine. They were never published there but went to be exhibited publicly the same year, to critical acclaim.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — Untitled #93 • Artist — Cindy Sherman • Year — 1981 • Type — Photograph • Medium — Chromogenic color print • Height Imperial — 24 • Width Imperial — 48 • Metric Unit — cm • Imperial Unit — in
Art market
Art market
A print of the photograph was sold by $3,861,000 at Sotheby's New York, on 14 May 2014, the second most expensive by the artist. Another print was sold by $3,150,000 at Christie's New York, on 9 November 2021.
Description
The picture depicts a young blonde woman lying in her bed, in underwear, with a tired and sweaty expression, while pulling her black sheets to her chest. She appears distraught as the sunlight fills the entire scene. The picture created debate, since some hinted that the photograph implied a situation of sexual abuse. Sherman denied that interpretation. She stated that "To me, the whole inspiration for the picture was somebody who'd been up all night drinking and partying and had just gone to sleep five minutes before the sun rose and woke her up. So it bothered me at first when people criticized the picture, seeing the side that I hadn't intended... I was definitely trying to provoke in those pictures."
Collections
There are prints of this photograph, among full series of the Centerfolds, at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. There are also prints at The Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, in Rotterdam, the Astrup Fearnley Museet, in Oslo, and the National Gallery of Australia, in Canberra.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Untitled 93, revision 1361325601 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Exh. Cat., New York, Museum of Modern Art (and travelling), Cindy Sherman, 2012, pp. 31-32
- 2.Cindy Sherman, Untitled #93, Sotheby's
- 3.Matiash, Chelsea. Women and Cliches: Cindy Sherman Photographs To Be Auctioned. Wall Street Journal. 2014-05-01. 0099-9660.
- 4.Christie’s New York: Cindy Sherman, Untitled #93.
- 5.Untitled 93, The Art Institute of Chicago
- 6.Untitled 93, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
- 7.Untitled 93, National Gallery of Australia
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 September 2026.
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