Man Ray

(Paris: [Man Ray], 1922, an edition of 40 numbered copies), a volume containing 12 tipped-in photographs of rayographs by Man Ray, with a printed 3-page preface by Tristan Tzara and colophon signed and numbered '34' by the photographer in ink.  Folio, original red wrappers with yellow printed label

Collection of James Gilvarry, New York

To a family member, 1984

These 12 gelatin silver prints, after original Rayographs, are in generally very good to excellent condition. Age-appropriate silvering is visible on each print to varying degrees at the periphery, as are occasional fingerprints. Faint offsetting from the front text is visible in the silvering on the first photograph. The folio leaves on which the prints are tipped are lightly age-darkened and insignificantly soiled at the edges. The front matter is clean. Faint notations in pencil (erased or now faded) on the first page of the front matter are illegible. There are 2 small losses to the back of the front matter, which detached from the binding; there are 2 resultant paper adhesions along the left edge of the first folio leaf. The original red paper folio remains vibrant and is in generally fair condition. There is significant water staining in the lower right quadrant of the cover, soiling overall, and losses at the edges. While there are cracks along the spine, it remains largely intact.
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.
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’s Champs Délicieux is the photographer's defining statement of his early work with the Rayograph, his proprietary name for the photogram.  In Man Ray’s hands, the two-dimensional photogram was given movement, wit, and style, creating images that Jean Cocteau termed 'phantasmagorical.'  Through the use of transparent and opaque objects, and through the shifting of objects during exposure, Rayographs conveyed the illusion of depth and time. They were acclaimed by the Dadaists, who loved the chance quality involved in their production. The title Champs Délicieux was inspired by a volume of automatic writings by the Dadaists-cum-Surrealists André Breton and Philippe Soupault, entitled Les Champs Magnetiques.

A seminal publication in the worlds of book art and photography, Champs Délicieux was issued in a very limited edition of 40 numbered copies, in paper wrappers of various colors, including tan, blue-gray, and the red of the present copy. The volume comprises 12 gelatin silver prints of Rayographs tipped to folio paper mounts; each volume was signed and numbered by Man Ray in ink on the colophon. Tristan Tzara, who had been among the first to see Man Ray's Rayograph experiments, contributed the preface, 'La Photographie a l'Envers.'

The copy of Champs Délicieux offered here comes originally from the library of James Gilvarry (1914-1984), the bibliophile and art collector.  Born in Brooklyn, Gilvarry was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and Columbia University, then later made his living in New York as a partner in a concert management firm. His collecting interests were wide-ranging, from Old Master drawings to detective fiction.  He was keenly interested in Modernism in all forms, both literary and artistic; his special loves were the great Modernists of Irish literature—Joyce, Yeats, and Beckett—and the works of Paul Klee.   An active member of the Grolier Club in New York from 1950 until his death, he curated a number of exhibitions there, among them The Indomitable Irishry, American Illustrated Books 1945-1965, and Marcel Proust and His Friends.  His collection of Klee paintings, watercolors, and drawings was sold at auction in 1984; the sale of his library at auction, two years later, was a landmark event that established world records for several of the authors in his collection.