Man Ray

by Emmanuelle de L'Ecotais, Emmanuelle de l’Ecotais, Manfred Heiting (Editor)

Man Ray (1890–1976) was a polymath modernist, working in painting, sculpture, film, printmaking, and poetry. But it was his work in photography, with nude studies, fashion work, and portraiture that saw him pioneering a new chapter in the history of camerawork and art. With a wide-ranging collection of both his famous and lesser-known works, this monograph gives a vivid overview of Man Ray’s multifaceted practice and photographic legacy. It traces Ray from his artistic beginnings in New York through to his central role in the Parisian avant-garde, where he featured in the first Surrealist exhibition with Jean Arp, Max Ernst, André Masson, Joan Miró, and Pablo Picasso and produced such now iconic works as Noire et blanche and Le Violon d’Ingres. Through numerous examples of still life, portraiture, and beyond, we see how Ray constantly experimented with new techniques, pushing photography out of its documentary domain into ethereal, poetic expressions through multiple exposure, solarization, and the particular brand of photograms he wittily termed “rayography.”

Genres: Art, Photography, Nonfiction

251 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2000

About the author

Emmanuelle de l’Ecotais is curator for photography at the Musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris since 2001. She has a PhD in History of Art, and is the specialist of Man Ray’s work. She has organized a large number of exhibitions, including Man Ray, la photographie à l’envers (Centre Pompidou/Grand Palais 1998), Alexandre Rodtchenko, La Photographie dans l’œil (Musée d’art moderne, 2007), Objectivités, La Photographie à Düsseldorf (ARC, 2008), Henri Cartier-Bresson, L’Imaginaire d’après nature (Musée d’Art moderne, 2009), Bernhard et Anna Blume, Polaroïd (Maison européenne de la photographie, 2010), Linder, Femme-Objet(Musée d’Art moderne/ARC, 2013), Jean-Philippe Charbonnier, l’œil de Paris (CMP, Paris, 2014). She is the author of number of essays and books, among them L’Esprit Dada (Editions Assouline, 1999), Man Ray (Taschen, 2000), Man Ray – Rayographies (Editions Léo Scheer, 2002), and is regularly member of different acquisitions committees (Fonds National d’Art Contemporain, 2004-2007, Maison européenne de la photographie, 2007-2010). Also part of the jury for Paris Jeunes Talents in visual arts, Prix pour la photographie of the Royal Monceau Hotel, Prix pour la photographie of La Fondation des Treilles, Prix de photographie Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière of the Academie Des Beaux-Arts. She has also been the artistic adviser for the Prix HSHC pour la Photographie in 2013.

Reviews

[?0?0?0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive collection of Man Ray's photographs that are presented on large, sleek paper, what could you not like about this if you were into Man Ray?

[Hawa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a beautiful and aesthetically pleasing book I highly recommend

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best pure art books I've found covering one of my favorite artists. Rarely ever let down by a Taschen book.