MAN RAY | Objet indestructible

Sale: Christie's, South Kensington, 11th December 2003, lot 98
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Roland Penrose, Man Ray, London, 1975, no. 64, illustration of an earlier version n.p.
Arturo Schwarz, Man Ray: The Rigour of Imagination, London, 1977, nos. 329 & 332, illustrations of earlier versions p. 218
Jean-Hubert Martin, Brigitte Hermann & Rosalind Krauss (eds.), Man Ray, Object de mon affection, Paris, 1983, no. 31, illustration of an earlier version titled Objet à détruire p. 46

Metronome with a black-and-white photograph in a box, all the elements appear to be stable. There are some nicks to the surface, in particular to the lower left side and the back, and to the left of the front part of the metronome consistent with age and handling. The label on the reverse of the metronome is slightly loose. There are some scuffs to the photographic element, primarily to the upper edge. This work is in overall good condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Man Ray first conceived of a metronome with a photograph of an eye affixed to the pendulum in 1923 and titled the work Objet à détruire. The artist later recalled the fate of this original object: 'I always worked to a metronome when I was painting - just like a piano player would - the pendulum's rhythm would regulate the rhythm of my brushstrokes. But I still needed an audience, so I attached a photo of an eye to the pendulum and as it swung I had the impression that someone was watching me paint - or indeed scrutinising my paintings. Sometimes the metronome stopped, and then I knew that my painting was awful and I would destroy it... But one day I had had enough - the metronome stopped and I was so infuriated that I took a hammer and broke it into a million pieces - after all it was called Object to Destroy... so I destroyed it' (quoted in Schwarz, op. cit., p. 142 (translated from the French)).

In 1933, responding to a number of requests, Man Ray re-made the object. However, the preceding year he had been left by his lover Lee Miller and so re-modelled the object with a photo of Miller's eye. Publishing a drawing of his object in This Quarter, he included the following instructions: 'Cut out the eye from a photograph of one who has been loved but is seen no more. Attach the eye to the pendulum of a metronome and regulate the weight to suit the tempo desired. Keep doing to the limit of endurance. With a hammer well-aimed, try to destroy the whole at a single blow' (This Quarter, vol. I, September 1932, p. 55).

In 1965, Man Ray collaborated with Daniel Spoerri to produce an edition of 100 of these objects. This edition he re-named Objet indestructible. Another example from this edition is in the collection of Tate Modern, London.