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Man Ray Photography

American, 1890-1976

Born Emmanuel Radnitzky, Man Ray was a famous American filmmaker, painter and photographer. His career is distinctive, above all, for the success he achieved in both the United States and Europe. First maturing at the center of American modernism in the 1910s, he made Paris his home in the 1920s and 1930s. In the 1940s, he crossed the Atlantic once again and spent periods in New York and Hollywood. 

Ray’s art spanned painting, sculpture, film, prints and poetry, and in his long career, he worked in styles influenced by Cubism, Futurism, Dada and Surrealism. He also successfully navigated the worlds of commercial and fine art and came to be a sought-after fashion photographer. Ray is perhaps most remembered for his photographs of the inter-war years, in particular, the camera-less pictures he called "Rayographs," but he always regarded himself first and foremost as a painter. Although he matured as an abstract painter, Ray eventually disregarded the traditional superiority painting held over photography and happily moved between different forms. Dada and Surrealism were important in encouraging this attitude; they also persuaded him that the idea that motivates a work of art was more important than the work of art itself. 

André Breton once described Ray as a pre-Surrealist, something which accurately describes his natural affinity for the style. Even before the movement had coalesced, in the mid-1920s, his work, influenced by Marcel Duchamp, had Surrealist undertones. He would continue to draw on the movement's ideas throughout his life. Ray's work has ultimately been very important in popularizing Surrealism.

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Artist: Man Ray
Man Ray, Juliet - 1932/1991, Silver Gelatin Print, Dada, Surrealist, Modern Art
By Man Ray
Located in Hamburg, DE
Man Ray (1890-1976) Juliet, 1945/1991 Medium: Silver Gelatin Print (posthumous print) Dimensions: 30.5 x 24 cm Stamped: "Copie d'une épreuve originale - ADAGP Man Ray Trust" Conditio...
Category

20th Century Modern Man Ray Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Man Ray, Échiquier Surréaliste: 1934/1991, Silver Gelatin Print, Dada
By Man Ray
Located in Hamburg, DE
Man Ray (1890-1976) Échiquier Surréaliste (Surrealist Checkerboard), 1934/1991 Medium: Silver Gelatin Print (later print) Dimensions: 30.5 x 23.7 cm Stamped: "Copie d'une épreuve originale - ADAGP Man Ray Trust" Condition: Very good This photograph by Man Ray...
Category

20th Century Surrealist Man Ray Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Oggetto Matematico (Mathematical Object )
By Man Ray
Located in Wien, 9
Man Ray is considered a representative of Dadaism and Surrealism. He was born in Philadelphia in 1890. Man Ray was active as a painter, object artist, photographer and film director. His art assemblages deal with questions about the unconscious, the apparent and the mythical. What is present behind what is represented or not is Ray's preoccupation in conceiving his experiments with different materials and techniques. He has his first solo exhibition at the Daniel Gallery in New York. Together with Marcel Duchamp he founded the DADA group in New York. In 1921 Ray moved to Paris, where he worked in the Montparnasse environment with artists such as Dalí, Ernst, Matisse, Miró, Mondrian and Tanguy. In 1922 there is a split in Paris between the Dadaists and the Surrealists. Man Ray joins the co-founders of Surrealism. National Socialism, which also showed its effects in Paris in the late 1930s, prompted the Jewish artist to decide to leave the country. After a major appearance at Georges Wildenstein's Beaux-Arts Gallery in Paris in the exhibition "Exposition Internationale du Surrealisme", he fled to New York via Spain and Portugal. After the Second World War, he brought the artistic collection he had left in Paris to the USA. As he could not enjoy the success and prestige in America that he had enjoyed in Paris, he returned to Paris in 1951. In 1958, the artist took part in the exhibition "Dada. Documents of a Movement" at the Kunstverein Düsseldorf and in the large Dada exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. His first major retrospective is shown at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1966. Man Ray died in Paris in 1976, leaving behind the "Man Ray Trust", a foundation established by his widow. Between 1934-36 Man Ray photographed...
Category

1930s Surrealist Man Ray Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin, Photographic Paper

Hollywood : Mr and Mrs Woodman - Original Handsigned Gelatin Silver Print
By Man Ray
Located in Paris, FR
Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitsky, called) Hollywood : Mr and Mrs Woodman, 1970 Original gelatin silver print Handsigned on the back Authenticated with the artist stamp "Epreuve originale...
Category

1970s Surrealist Man Ray Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Portrait of Francis Picabia - Original Photograph by Man Ray - 1935
By Man Ray
Located in Roma, IT
Original Vintage hand signed Photograph, 1935. Dimensions : 27x22 cm. This wonderful photograph by Man Ray shows an intense portrait of Franci...
Category

1930s Dada Man Ray Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Portrait of Paul Éluard
By Man Ray
Located in New York, NY
1936 Artist stamp in ink, verso Vintage silver print 6.75 x 5 inches This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.
Category

1930s Man Ray Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

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Sarah's BBQ - Fourth of July, Albuquerque, NM, 1995
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First Lady To Be, Jacqueline Bouvier (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Michael Canfield and Jacqueline Bouvier (1929 – 1994) at Newport Casino Tennis Week, Newport, Rhode Island, 1955. Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of...
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Look Away, 1990
By Todd Burris
Located in Hudson, NY
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Pom Pom 2
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Located in New York, NY
ABOUT THIS ARTIST: Sonia Perdeck is a photographer based in The Netherlands, currently studying at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague. She is a poetic story-teller who creates image...
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Pom Pom 2
Pom Pom 2
H 39.5 in W 31.6 in
Eyeglasses, 1993
By Todd Burris
Located in Hudson, NY
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Eyeglasses, 1993
H 14 in W 11 in D 1 in
Accessory Story
By Liz Von Hoene
Located in New York, NY
ABOUT THIS ARTIST: Liz Von Hoene is an award winning fashion photographer and director known for her immaculate concept driven images that strike the right balance between sophistica...
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Accessory Story
Accessory Story
H 15.7 in W 23.5 in
JFK speaking - John F. Kennedy Election campaign 1960
By Rolf Gillhausen
Located in Cologne, DE
Born in Cologne in 1922, died in Hamburg in 2004. Apprenticeship as a machinist from 1937, then studied engineering (not completed due to the war). Served in the war and imprisoned....
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Previously Available Items
Larmes, Silver Gelatine Print, Modern Art Photography, Dadaism
By Man Ray
Located in Hamburg, DE
Man Ray (1890 -1976) Larmes, ca. 1930/1991 Medium: (Later) silver gelatine print on Agfa paper Dimensions: 23.7 x 30.5 cm Edition size: unknown Markings: Stamped "Copie d'une épreuve...
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Retour à la Raison, 1923, Silver Gelatin Print, Dada, Surrealist, Modern Art
By Man Ray
Located in Hamburg, DE
Man Ray (1890-1976) Retour à la Raison, 1923/1991 Medium: Silver Gelatin Print (later print) Dimensions: 30.5 x 23.7 cm Stamped: "Copie d'une épreuve originale - ADAGP Man Ray Trust"...
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Self-Portrait with Beret, 1969 - Original Handsigned Silver Print
By Man Ray
Located in Paris, FR
Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitsky, aka) Self-Portrait with Beret, 1969 Handsigned original silver print 24 x 18 cm (c. 9,4 x 7 inch) Limited to 50 copies INFORMATIONS : Original edition...
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1960s Surrealist Man Ray Photography

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Larmes: Erotique Voilée, Man Ray
By Man Ray
Located in New York, NY
An original gelatin silver photograph of an iconic image by Man Ray, Larmes: Erotique Voilee is from the original negative created by the artist in 1933, printed in 1991.  The print ...
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Self-Portrait, 1932, Silver Gelatin Print, Dada, Surrealist, Modern Art
By Man Ray
Located in Hamburg, DE
Man Ray (1890-1976) Self-Portrait, 1932/1991 Medium: Silver Gelatin Print Dimensions: 30.5 x 24 cm Stamped: "Copie d'une épreuve originale - ADAGP Man Ray Trust" Condition: Very goo...
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Larmes (Tears), Silver Gelatine Print, Modern Art Photography, Dadaism
By Man Ray
Located in Hamburg, DE
Man Ray (1890 -1976) Larmes, ca. 1930/1991 Medium: (Later) silver gelatine print on Agfa paper Dimensions: 23.7 x 30.5 cm Edition size: unknown Markings: Stamped "Copie d'une épreuve...
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Facile.
By Man Ray
Located in New York, NY
MAN RAY. Facile. With poetry by Paul Eluard. Illustrated with photographs by Man Ray. 8vo., 245 x 182 mm, bound in original printed wrappers in a new grey slipcase, with black mo...
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Facile.
Facile.
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Larmes (Tears), Silver Gelatine Print, Modern Art Photography, Dadaism
By Man Ray
Located in Hamburg, DE
Man Ray (1890 -1976) Larmes, ca. 1930/1991 Medium: (Later) silver gelatine print on Agfa paper Dimensions: 23.7 x 30.5 cm Edition size: unknown Markings: Stamped "Copie d'une épreuve...
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Study of Hands, Negative Solarization print, Framed
By Man Ray
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Study of Hands, 1930 by Man Ray Negative Solarization technique Framed Image size: 14 in. H x 10.25 in. W Sheet size: 14.75 in. H x 10.75 in. W Frame size: 22 in. H x 19 in. W ______...
Category

Early 20th Century Modern Man Ray Photography

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Untitled Portrait of Female, Silver Gelatin Print
By Man Ray
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Untitled Portrait of Female by Man Ray Silver Gelatin Print Framed Image size: 9.75 in. H x 7.75 in. W Sheet size: 10.13 in. H x 10.25 in. W Frame size: 17.5 in. H x 16.5 in. W Stamp...
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La Monde
By Man Ray
Located in New York, NY
MAN RAY. La Monde. 1931. From the portfolio "Electricite". Photogravure. Signed Man Ray on the Photgravure. Man Ray (1890–1976) was an American arti...
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1930s American Modern Man Ray Photography

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La Monde
H 10 in W 8 in
Salle de Bain
By Man Ray
Located in New York, NY
MAN RAY. Salle de Bain. 1931. From the portfolio "Electricite". Photogravure. Signed Man Ray on the photogravure. Man Ray (1890–1976) was an American...
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Man Ray photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Man Ray photography available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Man Ray in silver gelatin print, paper, photographic paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Surrealist style. Not every interior allows for large Man Ray photography, so small editions measuring 5 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Jo Ann Callis, Chema Madoz, and Brian Ziff. Man Ray photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,557 and tops out at $35,650, while the average work can sell for $6,657.
Questions About Man Ray Photography
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Man Ray, an American photographer, painter and filmmaker, was known for his revolutionary experimentation with photography, including making “cameraless” pictures by placing objects on light-sensitive paper and exposing the paper to light. Ray called these photographs “rayographs.” On 1stDibs, Shop a collection of authentic Man Ray photographs from top sellers worldwide.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Man Ray created paintings, collages and films, but he is best known for photography. While working in his darkroom, he discovered that by moving objects around on photosensitive paper he could create unique images dubbed rayographs or photograms. Find a collection of Man Ray art on 1stDibs.

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