MAN RAY (1890-1976)

Object Indestructable (see Schwarz 332, Sers 31)

Details

MAN RAY (1890-1976)
Object Indestructable (see Schwarz 332, Sers 31)
three-dimensional metronome in wood and metal with gelatin silver print affixed to arm, 1923, signed with the artist's initials in ink and numbered 13/200 on the publication label affixed to the base, published by Mario Amaya for the New York Cultural Center, New York, 1975, minor surface soiling, time staining, a moisture stain at lower left of the eye, pale discoloration, a few foxmarks and some craquelure on the surface of the gelatin silver print, a few soft scuffs and tiny nicks to the wood, minor corrosion to the metal of the metronome, otherwise in good condition
9 1/8 x 4½ x 4½ in. (231 x 114 x 114 mm.)

Lot Essay

Man Ray's celebrated readymade object of a metronome with a photographic eye affixed to the pendulum was first created in 1923 and titled Object to Be Destroyed. Several replicas of the object were made over the following decades, and in 1958 Man Ray authorized an edition of the object with a French title, Objet indestructible. In response to popular demand, further editions were authorized by the artist in the 1960s and 1970s.

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