September 25, 2023

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A New Exhibition Reveals How Man Ray, the Enigmatic Surrealist Photographer, Bridged the Worlds of Art and Fashion

Gentleman Ray, the American artist and photographer who all but defined the early 20th-century Paris art scene, is linked with many things. He’s associated with Surrealism and Dada, and the likes of Marcel Duchamp and André Breton. He’s also linked with Lee Miller and Kiki de Montparnasse, as effectively as the couturiers Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel, for whom he took pictures starting in the interbellum years, just after relocating from New York to Paris in 1921. As such, the celebrated condition-shifter bridged the worlds of art and manner like no other.

Some of Man Ray’s finest-identified photos involve Noire et Blanche (1926), Lune sur le Visage (1930), and Le Violon d’Ingres (1924), the previous of which virtually tripled the report for most high-priced image marketed at auction when it netted $12.4 million at Christie’s in 2022.

Not only have Ray’s ingenious photographic techniques—stark shadowing, solarization, rayographs—been endlessly reproduced in excess of the many years, he’s also turn into a font of inspiration for manner designers. His enigmatic model and humor have been mirrored by means of the collections of Yves Saint Laurent, Martin Margiela, Dries van Noten, Celine, Lanvin, and Madeleine Vionnet, to identify just a handful of. A lot of of them are Belgian names, which may perhaps not appear as a surprise specified the country’s history of avant-gardism.

In “Male Ray and Fashion” (as a result of August 13) at MoMu, the trend museum of Antwerp, the artist’s pictures are presented together with fashion pieces they impressed, highlighting the pivotal impact of his get the job done on modern trend. Here’s a selection of visuals showcasing Male Ray’s inimitable style and enduring dialogue with the earth of vogue.

Things from Yves Saint Laurent’s collection of 1965 with Male Ray’s photograph Le Violon d’Ingres (1924) in the history. Photograph: Stany Dederen. Courtesy of MoMu.

Left: Celine, Spring–Summer 2012. Right: Man Ray, Lee Miller (1930). Photo: Stany Dederen. Courtesy of MoMu.

Still left: Celine, Spring–Summer 2012. Correct: Man Ray, Lee Miller (1930). Picture: Stany Dederen. Courtesy of MoMu.

Left: Olivier Theyskens, Spring-Summer 1999 © MoMu. Photo: Julien Claessens & Thomas Deschamps. Right: Man Ray, <em>La Chevelure</em> (1927). Courtesy of Fondazione Marconi, Milan © Man Ray 2015 Trust / Sabam Belgium 2023.

Left: Olivier Theyskens, Spring-Summer 1999 © MoMu. Image: Julien Claessens & Thomas Deschamps. Proper: Guy Ray, La Chevelure (1927). Courtesy of Fondazione Marconi, Milan © Male Ray 2015 Believe in / Sabam Belgium 2023.

Left: Man Ray, <em>Rayographie “Kiki”</em> (1922). © Man Ray 2015 Trust / Adagp, Paris, 2023 - Photo : Telimage / Adagp Images. Right: Dirk Van Saene, Autumn-Winter, 2008-09 © MoMu. Photo: Hugo Maertens.

Left: Man Ray, Rayographie “Kiki” (1922). © Male Ray 2015 Trust / Adagp, Paris, 2023 – Picture: Telimage / Adagp Images. Proper: Dirk Van Saene, Autumn-Wintertime, 2008-09 © MoMu. Image: Hugo Maertens.

Maison Martin Margiela collections from 1996 to 2009. Photo: Stany Dederen. Courtesy of MoMu.

Maison Martin Margiela collections from 1996 to 2009. Photograph: Stany Dederen. Courtesy of MoMu.

Left: Maison Martin Margiela, Spring-Summer 1990 © MoMu. Photo: Stany Dederen. Right: Man Ray, <em>Madame Toulgouat</em> (ca. 1930) Librairie Diktats © Man Ray 2015 Trust / Sabam Belgium 2023.

Still left: Maison Martin Margiela, Spring-Summer time 1990 © MoMu. Picture: Stany Dederen. Correct: Guy Ray, Madame Toulgouat (ca. 1930). Librairie Diktats © Gentleman Ray 2015 Have faith in / Sabam Belgium 2023.

Installation view, "Man Ray and Fashion." Photo: Stany Dederen.

From remaining: Clothes by Dirk Van Saene, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Quinten Mestdagh, and Bernhard Willhelm. Image: Stany Dederen. Courtesy of MoMu.

Installation view, "Man Ray and Fashion." Photo: Stany Dederen.

Still left: Male Ray, Juliet (1945). Appropriate: Jonathan Anderson for Loewe, Autumn–Winter 2022–23. Image: Stany Dederen. Courtesy of MoMu.

Left: Man Ray, <em>Nancy Cunard</em> (1926). © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI, dist. Rmn-Grand Palais / Man Ray 2015 Trust / Sabam Belgium 2023. Right: Dries Van Noten, Autumn-Winter 2008-09 © MoMu. Photo: Stany Dederen.

Remaining: Guy Ray, Nancy Cunard (1926). © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI, dist. Rmn-Grand Palais / Gentleman Ray 2015 Rely on / Sabam Belgium 2023. Correct: Dries van Noten, Autumn-Wintertime 2008-09 © MoMu. Photo: Stany Dederen.

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