Man Ray
Noire et Blanche, 1926
Gelatin silver print
“My works were designed to amuse, annoy, bewilder, mystify, and inspire reflection.”
Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky (1890-1976) was an American avant-garde artist, and an important figure in the Dada and surrealist movements. Although he is best known for his black and white photographs, he was also a pioneer in painting, film, and collage. First gaining exposure to contemporary artistic trends through regular visits to Alfred Stieglitz’s gallery, he subsequently developed an affinity for the art of photography. His collaboration with the French artist Marcel Duchamp led to the popularization of Dadaism in New York in 1916. Man Ray’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.