The Many Faces is a homage to Cindy Sherman, the American artist who made role-play one of the great subjects of contemporary portraiture. It is an independent tribute inspired by her approach, not a reproduction of her photographs, and it has no affiliation with the artist. Across eight original portraits, one woman becomes many: muse, clown, actress, society lady, stranger. Each face asks the same question: who do we choose to be when we know we are being looked at?
The need — a portrait that holds a room
Our decorator recommends a strong portrait for rooms that need a presence rather than a view: an entrance, a study, a dressing room, a dining room. These works bring saturated, warm colour, plum, saffron, carmine and amber, which keeps them alive on the pale green walls of 2027. The Actress, in ambers and deep reds, warms a dining room. The Clown, in mint and citrus, brings wit to a study or a hallway. Untitled Film Still, in the soft high contrast of 1950s cinema, is the quietest of the eight and a natural piece to lean on a console.
The production — costume as a portrait
The art director gave every work the same subject and a different disguise. The setting, the clothes and the make-up do the storytelling. History Portrait sits its subject on a throne of damask and gilded excess, in the manner of the Baroque. Society Portrait crowns a powdered grande dame with heavy floral millinery. Fashion Victim maps a delicate golden grid across porcelain skin, and Identity Play splits a face between bare skin and a teal filigree mask. In The Muse, the subject leans into the frame between two ghost-like mannequins, as if stepping out of her own role.
The sale — the portrait that looks back
Our gallerist values this collection for the conversation it starts: guests always ask who she is, and the answer is that she is everyone. It speaks to people who love fashion, cinema and the theatre of the everyday. One portrait is bold enough to stand alone; three hung with generous space between them, such as The Actress, The Clown and History Portrait, show the transformation at work. On acrylic glass, skin, silk and velvet take on a lacquered depth, so let the portrait be the one gleaming surface against a matte wall.