Biography Man Ray

In 1921 he travelled to Europe, where he got involved with the avant-garde artists and was especially influenced by the surrealists who became his intellectual sounding-board. Man Ray first acquired a camera and started taking photographs because he was unhappy with the way professional photographers reproduced his paintings. The resulting success of his pictures also induced him to start taking photographs of his friends’ works.

Man Ray’s interest in fashion was born in Paris in the 1920s, when he became friends with a fashion designer whose clothes he photographed. He started a studio in central Paris and also took portraits there. Soon he was the talk of all the major fashion houses and started photographing their collections for the Haute Couture shows. His photos were circulated to fashion magazines all over the world. In 1934, he signed a contract with Harper’s Bazaar, which made him a professional fashion photographer.

Like so many photographers, he made technical mistakes in the darkroom, but found that these mistakes led to new technical possibilities. Man Ray also created abstract compositions using everyday objects which he placed on photosensitive paper and then exposed to light. This is how he produced many of the works for which he is famous.

The hubbub around Man Ray moved many contemporary celebrities to offer their services both as assistants and as models. One of his most popular subjects was Kiki de Montparnasse, a woman who became something of a muse to contemporary artists and to the American writer Ernest Hemingway. Man Ray’s studio was also frequented by Meret Oppenheim, whose works will be shown in a parallel exhibition, and who has many similarities with Man Ray.

When the Second World War broke out, Man Ray abandoned Paris and his belongings there, travelling to New York by ship together with Salvador Dalí. He settled in Hollywood, California, where he photographed film stars. His sorrow at having to leave Paris, and his mourning of the things he had to leave behind, prompted him to create a collection of pictures he called “The Objects of my Affection”, which now belong to the museum’s collection.

1890

Emmanuel Radnitsky was born on 27 August in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. His parents were of Russian Jewish origin.

1897

The family moved to Brooklyn, New York. Emmanuel got crayons for his seventh birthday, and after that spent most of his free time drawing and painting.

1905

The family changed surname to Ray, and Emmanuel (Manny) eventually became Man.

1910

Studied nude drawing at the National Academy of Design. Regularly visited Alfred Stieglitz’s Photo-Secession Gallery, also known as Gallery 291, on account of its address, 291 Fifth Avenue.

1912

Studied art at the Ferrer Center in New York. Began signing his works “Man Ray”.

1913

Made his first cubist painting, Portrait of Alfred Stieglitz. Through Stieglitz he sold a few paintings for 150 dollars to a publisher. Started taking photographs. Moved to Ridgefield, New Jersey.

1914

Married the Belgian poet Adon Lacroix, “Donna”.

1915

Met Marcel Duchamp with whom he became friends for life. Bought a camera to take photos of his paintings. Published The Ridgefield Gazook, a hand-made, four-page booklet in the dada style.

1915-16

Met Frank Stella and Francis Picabia. Engaged in avant-garde activities in New York together with Duchamp and Picabia.

1919

Published the one and only issue of the anarchist magazine TNT. Separated from Donna.

1920

Founded the Société Anonyme together with Duchamp and Katherine Dreier. Started freelancing for Harper’s Bazaar. Photographed Duchamp as Rrose Sélavy.

1921

Together with Duchamp, Ray made the film Elsa, Baroness von Freytag-Loringhoven, Shaves Her Pubic Hair. Arrived in Paris on 14 July. Was introduced to the dadaists by Duchamp. Lived on 22 Rue de la Condamine. Made his first photographs of the dada group and embarked on his series of portraits of international artists and writers. Photographed works of art for various artists, while taking their portraits. Made his first Rayogramme. Met Alice Prin, “Kiki de Montparnasse”, who became his model and partner.

1921

Won acclaim, both for his fashion photography and his portraits. Began working as a photographer for the fashion designer Paul Poiret.

1922

Worked simultaneously as a portrait photographer and fashion photographer. Employed Berenice Abbott as his assistant. Met Sylvia Beach, owner of the Shakespeare & Co bookshop. Portrayed writers, including Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein and James Joyce. The portrait of Joyce was used to promote Ulysses. His success as a portrait photographer meant he could afford to move to a real studio on 31 bis Rue Campagne. Published Champs délicieux, a limited edition of twelve Rayogrammes, with a foreword by Tristan Tzara.

1923

Participated as a photographer in the making of Fernand Léger’s film Ballet mécanique.

1924

His fashion photos were published in the French, British and American editions of Vogue. His photograph Le Violon d’Ingres was published in Littérature. A chess game against Marcel Duchamp was filmed by Francis Picabia and René Clair for Entracte.

1926

Produced the film Emak Bakia. Published Noire et Blanche in French Vogue. Together with Abbott he had become acquainted with the photographer Eugène Atget. Man Ray published Atget’s photographs in La Révolution surréaliste.

1928

Made the film Étoile de Mer.

1929

Made the film Les Mystères du Château de Dé. Separated from Kiki. Met Lee Miller, who became his assistant and partner. Employed the British photographer Bill Brandt as his assistant.

1932

Separated from Lee Miller. Photographed the French Can Can dancer Lydia, whose make up inspired his photograph Tears.

1934

James Thrall Soby published Photographs by Man Ray, Paris 1920-1934, with texts by Tristan Tzara, Paul Éluard, André Breton and Rrose Sélavy.

1935

The Museum of Modern Art in New York bought three of his Rayogrammes. His first fashion photos were published in Harper’s Bazaar. Illustrated Paul Éluard’s book Facile. Published Sur le réalisme photographique.

1937

Published La photographie n’est pas l’art.

1940

Fled from Paris during the German occupation. Went to New York via Lisbon. Travelled across the American continent and settled in Hollywood, California, in October. Met Juliet Browner.

1941

Reconstructed some of his works. Taught occasionally at the Art Center School, Los Angeles. Devoted himself to painting.

1943

Embarked on a series of photographs of Juliet.

1944

Made the photo-collage series Objects of My Affection. Wrote the script for Ruth, Roses and Revolvers, for Hans Richter’s film Dreams that Money Can’t Buy.

1946

Double wedding of Man Ray to Juliet Browner, and Max Ernst to Dorothea Tanning.

1951

Returned to Paris with Juliet. Settled at 2 bis Rue Férou.

1963

Published his autobiography, Self Portrait.

1976

Died in Paris on 18 November.

1982

Posthumous exhibition of photographs, paintings and objects at Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.

1988

Retrospective exhibition, produced by the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC.