Man Ray

 

Born - Philadelphia, USA 1890

Died - Paris, France 1976

 

Born Emmanuel Radnitsky, Man Ray moved to Brooklyn in 1897, adopting the name by which he is known in 1905. He abandoned formal training but studied art during the evening while undertaking a variety of jobs as a commercial artist. His visits to Alfred Stieglitz's 291 gallery led to his experiments in photography. In 1914, he moved to an artists' colony in Ridgefield, New Jersey, where he met Marcel Duchamp. Together, they and Picabia founded the New York Dada movement. Man Ray began to produce "aerograph" paintings - made using an airbrush on photographic paper. He co-founded the Societe Anonyme in 1920. Pisces is a classical manifestation of Man Ray's involvement with the movement. Continuing experimentation with the photographic medium led to the "Rayograph" and, later, "solarizations". He also produced avant-garde films and constructed Dada objects. From 1940 he lived in Hollywood, returning to Paris in 1952. He described his life's work as, "The pursuit of liberty and the pursuit of art".

 

Masterpieces:

  • Erotique Voilée
  • Tired Mannequin

 

Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.