Man Ray

the photographer's '31 bis, Rue Campagne Premiére, Paris XIVe' studio stamp (Manford M6) on the reverse, tipped to a heavy paper mount, signed and dated in pencil on the mount, the same 'Rue Campagne Premiére' studio stamp (Manford M6) on the reverse, 1933

Other prints of this image:

Photographs by Man Ray 1920 Paris 1934 (James Thrall Soby, 1934), pl. 3 (a print now in the collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris)

Roland Penrose, Man Ray (Boston, 1975), pl. 73 (reproduced from the Soby book)

Janus, Man Ray: The Photographic Image (New York, 1980), pl. 131 (likely reproduced from the Soby book)

In Focus: Man Ray (J. Paul Getty Museum, 1998), pl. 31 (in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles)

Man Ray: Aperture Masters of Photography (New York, 1997), p. 83 (the Getty's print)

 

This photograph is on heavy double-weight paper with a matte surface. It retains, in fine condition, its original mount, which is signed and dated by Man Ray. The versos of the photograph and the mount both bear Man Ray's Rue Campagne Premiere stamp (M6). The print is a perfect time-capsule from this period of Man Ray's career, and it is essentially in excellent condition. The print shows very faint age-appropriate silvering in the dark areas at the extremities. There is miniscule wear on the lower left and upper right corners. The print is tipped at the top corners only to its mount. The unconventional off-center mounting was done very carefully: the print is nearly – but not quite – flush with the mount's top and left edges. The dead-center placement of the studio stamp on the reverse of the mount clearly indicates that this mount was not subsequently trimmed, and that the print's position on the mount is deliberate. The heavy paper mount is somewhat darkened at the periphery. There is some inconsequential staining on the reverse of the mount.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion. Illustrations in the catalogue may not be actual size. Prospective purchasers are reminded that, unless the catalogue description specifically states that a stone is natural, we have assumed that some form of treatment may have been used and that such treatment may not be permanent. Our presale estimates reflect this assumption.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Man Ray created this evocatively-layered photomontage using two separate negatives: one, a classically-rendered female nude torso, the other of standard photographic equipment, a studio light and reflector.  The compression of these two disparate images into a single work is expertly handled by the ever-adroit Man Ray.  The nude torso, dominating the left third of the image, is balanced by Man Ray's central placement of the semicircular reflector.  The metallic interior of the reflector presents an intriguingly distorted, yet quite detailed, glimpse of the interior of Man Ray's studio.  Man Ray has deliberately placed this print off-center on its heavy paper mount, perfectly harmonizing with the photograph's composition.  In its print quality and presentation, the photograph is a perfect time capsule from this period of Man Ray's career.  The image's importance within Man Ray's oeuvre is underscored by the fact that the photographer included it as one of the primary illustrations in his first monograph, the seminal Photographs by Man Ray 1920 Paris 1934, funded and published by collector James Thrall Soby in 1934. 

The photograph offered here is one of only four extant prints of the image that have been located at this time, and is the only one mounted, signed, and stamped by Man Ray.  The others reside in the collections of the Bibilothèque Nationale de France, Paris; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.  Man Ray scholar Steven Manford notes that the recently discovered photograph offered here is believed to be the only print in private hands.

The prominent placement of this photograph within Photographs by Man Ray 1920 Paris 1934 is significant.  Manford, who has conducted extensive research on the making of this monograph and is currently recreating Man Ray's Wadsworth Atheneum exhibition of 1934, notes that this image plays a crucial role in the sequence and narrative of the book's photographs, as well as within its five distinct groupings.  He writes,

'As the third image in the first sequence, it functions as an introduction to the nature of photography.  The book's opening illustration, a close-up view of an eye (a severely cropped version of the famous Larmes [Glass Tears]), is about vision, perception, and the concentrated gaze.  The second illustration, of a light switch on a studio lamp, faces the illustration of the image presented here.  The light-switch image is an evocative choice and, taken with the facing page, represents the turning on of the artificial light upon which the photographer depends. The present image is, on the surface, a study of the classical image re-imagined in the age of photography and electric light.  The light bulb/reflector is a formative symbol in the book and reappears several illustrations later, paired again with a classical sculptural element.  Man Ray also incorporates a light bulb into the photographic illustration on the book's cover.  Looking closely at the reflector in the present image, the vague figure of Man Ray himself, in robe and slippers, is visible.  Thus, in this photograph, Man Ray discretely places himself in the composition, linking medium, muse, and artist together.'    

Manford's research has revealed that Man Ray typically produced three or four prints of each of the images that appeared in Photographs by Man Ray 1920 Paris 1934 as he was assembling the book in 1933 and 1934.  The print of this image used for reproduction in the Soby book was acquired by the Bibliothèque Nationale in advance of Man Ray's 1962 photographic retrospective, Man Ray: Exposition de l'oeuvre photographique. The title given that print is A travers un réflecteur, or Through a Reflector.  James Thrall Soby's print of the image is now in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art.  The Getty's print was formerly in the collection of Arnold Crane, and is catalogued under the title Interior. 

Sotheby's thanks Man Ray scholar Steven Manford for his contributions to this essay.