Man Ray

1890-1976

Man Ray was born Emanuel Radinsky, the son of a Jewish tailor who emigrated from Russia. He began painting at the age of 5 and had his first solo exhibition at 25. Together with Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray co-founded the New York Dada movement. In 1921, he went to Paris. When Surrealism developed out of Dadaism in 1924, Man Ray was also one of its co-founders and took part in the Surrealist exhibition.

He was the founder of modern photography, a painter and sculptor, made avant-garde films and created collages, prints, drawings and lyrical works. In 1961, he was awarded the gold medal at the Venice Biennale.

Characteristic of his work is the irrational and the incongruous, which also aims the erotic and the scandalous. "The pursuit of pleasure and liberty – that says it all about my art".

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