Man Ray

(American, 1890–1976)

Man Ray was an American avant-garde artist and leading figure in the Dada and Surrealist movements. A pioneer in painting, film, and collage, Man Ray is best known for his black-and-white photographs. His Larmes (Tears) (1930–1932) is a hallmark example of his imaginative photographs, featuring a woman with glass droplets placed on her face which resemble tears. “My works were designed to amuse, annoy, bewilder, mystify and inspire reflection,” he once stated. Born Emmanuel Radnitsky on August 27, 1890 in South Philadelphia, PA, the artists family moved to Brooklyn, NY, when he was young. While living in New York, Man Ray befriended Marcel Duchamp and picked up photography through his association with Alfred Stieglitz. In 1921, the artist moved to Paris, where he joined the French cohort of Jean Arp, Max Ernst, André Masson. After waiting out World War II in New York, Man Ray would return to Europe in 1951. His popular autobiography Self Portrait was published in 1963. Man Ray died on November 18, 1976 in Paris, France. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, among others.