Man Ray

Acquired from the artist by the present owner circa 1966-67

Sarana Alexandrian, Man Ray, Berlin, 1973, illustrated in colour p. 16
Jean-Hubert Martin, Brigitte Hermann & Rosalind Krauss, Objets de mon affection, Man Ray, Sculpture et Objets, Catalogue Raisonné, Paris, 1983, p. 172, partially illustrated (in photograph)
Man Ray, Self Portrait, Boston, 1988, p. 239, p. 244, partially illustrated (in photographs)
Man Ray, Rétrospective 1912-1976 (exhibition catalogue), Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain, Nice, 1997, partially illustrated (in photograph) p. 89

Painted in 1938, Le Chevalier rouge belongs to the highpoint of Man Ray's mature period as a painter. The late 1930s was to be an intense period devoted to painting, resulting in Man Ray's finest Surrealist compositions. Spending the summer of 1938 with his companion Ady in their rented penthouse studio in Antibes, Man Ray executed the present work, that preceded a larger painting of the same title. This striking composition unites the artist's interests and concerns of the time: here in the guise of the mythological combat between Saint George and the dragon, portrayed as a white knight and the red cavalier, Man Ray alludes to the threat of war. Indeed, he traveled often between Paris and Antibes throughout 1938, keeping a close eye on the political situation in France. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, he returned to the United States in 1940.

Set on the pattern of a chessboard, Le Chevalier rouge displays another important interest: the world of chess. Man Ray designed chess sets throughout his career and frequent references to the imagery of the game appear in his paintings, objects, photographs and films. At times, he chose the chessboard as an arena for an activity seemingly unconnected with the game. For instance, in his 1942 photograph Endgame, Man Ray arranged his much-loved wooden lay-figures on a chessboard, interspersed amongst the chessmen.