Man Ray Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Man Ray (Philadelphia 1890- Montparnasse 1976). The artist offers a great variety of works, he is, in fact, an eclectic character, a surrealist photographer, painter, creator of experimental objects and films. Read the full biography

Man Ray Biography

Man Ray (Philadelphia 1890- Montparnasse 1976). The artist offers a great variety of works, he is, in fact, an eclectic character, a surrealist photographer, painter, creator of experimental objects and films. His training took place in New York where, starting from 1908, he worked as a graphic designer and designer. Together with Marcel Duchamp he was the protagonist of the Dada movement which surpassed traditional means of expression and used photography as a tool through which to trap light. Every convention is overcome in favor of freedom of expression. After a vain attempt to spread the movement in America, the artist moved to Paris in the Montparnasse district. In 1925 in Paris together with other artists such as Jean Arp, Marx Ernst, André Masson, Jean Mirò and Pablo Picasso he participated in the first surrealist exhibition at the Pierre gallery. In the following twenty years, Man Ray marked a real turning point in photographic art, so much so that important artists of the time posed for him, such as the surrealist Méret Oppenheim in 1934 and the photographer Lee Miller with whom he originated the solarization technique. Another practice used is that of rayographs which consists of placing objects directly on photographic paper. He returned to the United States where he lived for a few years in Los Angeles but it was Montaparnasse that was considered his true home, in fact, it was here that he died in 1976.