dom of expression and the public funding of con-
temporary art.
Philosophical Underpinnings Much of the photog-
raphy of the 1980’s found its ideological roots in
poststructuralism, a philosophy that first emerged
in the mid-1960’s. The work of such French post-
structural theorists as Jacques Derrida and Michel
Foucault focused on the process of deconstructing
or historicizing the complex relationship between
institutions and power by exploring the ways in
which signs (including images) could be used as in-
struments of control. One French poststructuralist,
Roland Barthes, frequently discussed photography
in his writings. In 1980, he publishedCamera Lucida,
which comments on the nature of representation
and truth in the photographic image. Poststruc-
turalist theory is closely linked to postmodernism, a
late twentieth century movement that rejected many
of the tenets of early twentieth century modernism.
According to French critical theorist Jean Baudril-
lard in his influential treatiseSimulacres et simulation
(1981;Simulations, 1983), the postmodern world de-
pends so heavily on mechanical reproduction and
mass media that “the real no longer exists.”
Appropriation Art Appropriation art uses bor-
rowed elements in the creation of a new work. The
photography-based appropriation art of the 1980’s
reflected the spirit of postmodernism through its
mass-media influence and its ability to call into ques-
tion concepts of originality and authenticity. Many
appropriation artists began their careers as design-
ers and commercial artists for advertising agencies
and popular magazines. In the late 1970’s and 1980’s,
American artist Richard Prince rephotographed pho-
tographs from popular culture, including images of
a preteen Brooke Shields, and everyday advertise-
ments, including ads featuring the Marlboro Man.
He then placed these photographs of photographs
within his own photo-collages, without providing
any copyright information on the appropriated im-
ages.
American photographer and conceptual artist
Sherrie Levine first gained critical attention with her
1981 solo exhibition,After Walker Evans. In her work,
she rephotographed photographs by Walker Evans,
an American photographer best known for his work
documenting the effects of the Great Depression,
and presented the images as her own.
Feminist Photography Although the 1980’s saw a
backlash against the feminist movement that had
emerged in the 1970’s, several prominent women
photographic artists examined the social construc-
tion of gender and sexuality in their work. Barbara
Krueger worked as a designer for such popular mag-
azines asMademoisellebefore becoming an appropri-
ation artist. She used commercial photographs and
font types in her feminist-charged photomontages.
Her photo-silkscreen from 1989,Your Body is a Battle-
ground, not only interrogates mass-media represen-
tations of femininity but also evokes battles over re-
productive rights that were prevalent throughout
the decade.
In 1980, American photographer Cindy Sherman
completed a series of sixty-nine photographs enti-
tled theUntitled Film Stills. In these photographs,
Sherman placed herself in different costumes and
contexts that evoke B-movies from the 1950’s and
1960’s. Like Krueger’s photomontages, these im-
ages comment on the powerful influence of the
media on identity. In addition, because Sherman
is identifiable in each role, they also explore the
performative aspects of gender and sexuality.
The women’s movement of the 1970’s was largely
white and middle class. However, feminists in the
1980’s increasingly focused on women’s difference.
Such African American photographers as Lorna
Simpson and Carrie Mae Weems frequently exam-
ined racist stereotypes pervasive in Western culture,
including mass-media images, in their work.Cultural Controversy Controversy dominated the
art headlines in the 1980’s, and many of the most
heated debates centered on photography. Conserva-
tive Republican Ronald Reagan was president, and
the Moral Majority arose and gained political power.
Much of the furor focused on whether national
funding agencies like the National Endowment for
the Arts (NEA) should support art that some deemed
to be obscene.
American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe’s
work was often at the center of these storms. While
his strongly lit, carefully composed, black-and-white
photographs evoke a classical, nineteenth century
aesthetic, their homoerotic content was often la-
beled pornographic by some. In 1989, the NEA-
funded Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.,
canceled an exhibition of Mapplethorpe’s photo-
graphs entitledThe Perfect Moment, because the gal-758 Photography The Eighties in America