The pictures in Sherman’s 1981 centerfolds series refer to both the printed page and, in their stereoscope format, the cinema. Originally commissioned by Artforum magazine, these send-ups of men’s erotic magazines depict a variety of women in different emotional states, ranging from terrified to heartbroken to melancholic. In these intimate pictures, it’s as if we are witnessing a private moment unfolding. The photographs are at once seductive and anxiety-inducing; the saturated palette contributes to the intensity and the alienation of the women, heightening the drama of each picture. With this series, Sherman takes on the roles of both photographer (assumed to be male) and female model. The antitheses of conventional centerfolds, the works foreground the effect that pictures have on us, making us aware of, and complicit in, the acts of photographing and looking.