Man Ray
May Ray was a revolutionary who found his medium in art. Born in Pennsylvania in 1890, Man Ray spent most of his childhood in Brooklyn. After graduating from high school, he pursued a career as an artist, stimulated by the rich milieu that surrounded local New York art figures, such as Alfred Stieglitz. The 1913 Armory Show marked a turning point for Man Ray, exposing him to the latest ideas and creations of painters such as Cezanne, Picasso, Braque, and, most crucially, Duchamp. Man Ray and Duchamp quickly struck up a lifelong friendship and partnership, collaborating on projects that synthesized their fascination with motion, and with the directions being broached by movements such as Dada, and later, Surrealism. Kinetic sculptures, readymades, experimental photographic techniques - these and many more became the tools that Man Ray used to bring his ideas to the world. Moving to Paris in 1921, Man Ray found himself in the middle of one of the most active artistic communities at the time. He became a celebrated portrait photographer of the members of this community, redefining the concept of portrait photography itself in the process. Together with artists such as Max Ernst and Joan Miró, Man Ray exhibited his work at the first Surrealist Exhibition in 1925, seeking to translate into the visual arts "the actual functioning of thought", as expressed in the first Surrealist Manifesto by André Breton. Forced out of Paris by the Second World War, Man Ray returned to the USA, and settled in Los Angeles until 1951. He continued his experimentation there, changing the landscape of fashion photography. After returning to Paris, he continued to push the boundaries of art for the next twenty-five years, serving at the same time as a gentle and significant mentor to younger artists, who wished to challenge established wisdom. Man Ray died in 1976, and was buried in the Cimetière du Montparnasse, at the very heart of the artistic district that proved so fruitful to his vision.
