Man Ray
Man Ray (1890–1976) was an American visual artist, photographer, filmmaker, and central figure of Dada and Surrealism whose career became deeply intertwined with the artistic life of Paris. After moving from New York to Paris in 1921, he quickly entered the avant garde circles surrounding Marcel Duchamp, the Surrealists, and the expatriate artistic community of Montparnasse. Paris remained the principal centre of his creative life for much of the twentieth century, despite a temporary return to the United States during the Second World War.
In Paris, Man Ray became renowned for his experimental photography, rayographs, films, and object based works that challenged conventional distinctions between art, fashion, and commercial imagery. Closely associated with figures including André Breton, Lee Miller, Pablo Picasso, and Gertrude Stein, he occupied a central position within the cosmopolitan avant garde of interwar and postwar Paris. His studio portraits and experimental techniques helped define the visual culture of modernism in twentieth century France.
Although belonging to an earlier generation, Man Ray remained an important presence in the Paris art world, contributing to the cultural environment in which later artists, including Joan Mitchell, were active. He was also a close personal friend of Barbara Chase-Riboud.
Artists
Those of Letters
