Cindy Sherman poses in costume in one of her famous self-portraits. (Photo Courtesy of blog.danportingstudios.com)

The Dallas Museum of Art is hosting a special exhibition, “Cindy Sherman.”

As far as contemporary art is concerned, Cindy Sherman has made her mark through her unique photographs.

Sherman worked as a model for over 30 years.

Her work now consists of self-portrait photographs in various disguises, and she creates them without help.

From posing to snapping and from makeup to costume design, Sherman resembles a one-man band on set.

The conceptual photographs maintain the ability of transporting the audience to evoke emotion.

Sherman accomplishes this despite not editing out the false additions to her body or prosthetic features.

In this retrospective exhibit of the portraits, Sherman resembles old Hollywood characters, but never names her pieces aside from “Untitled” followed by the number.

“Untitled #96” from 1981 is the second most expensive photograph to be sold at $3,890,500.

Many of the portraits are larger than life-size.

The display breaches into the territory of androgynous characters. Several of which infringe on the human replica theory known as the uncanny valley.

The artist got her training at Buffalo State College and currently resides in New York.

Roberta Smith of The New York Times said, “Ms. Sherman is often lauded for being a skilled, chameleonlike actress, and she is – an actress always teetering on the brink of being in a role, but never all the way in.”

Over the next few months the DMA hosts her series fairy tales/mythology from 1985, historic portraits from 1988-90, sex pictures of 1992, headshots from 2000, clowns conducted in 2002-04 and society portraits made in 2008.

The DMA will also play host for Sherman’s photographic mural made in 2011-2012 as its United States debut.

I found the historic portraits to be the most thought provoking, while also the most disturbing.

Sherman notes, “When I was doing those history pictures I was living in Rome but never went to the churches and museums there. I worked out of books, with reproductions. It’s an aspect of photography I appreciate conceptually: the idea that images can be reproduced and seen anytime, anywhere, by anyone.”

The series included one photograph with an eerie resemblance to High Renaissance Italian painter, Raphael’s “Fornarina.”

The exhibit is both provocative and memorable and will be on display at the DMA through June 9.

Tickets are $16 and $12 with a student ID.