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Lot Essay
Man Ray's unique maquette was created around 1963 for an unrealized book project which was to feature 50 Rayographs executed in the 1920s. The maquette is comprised of one original Rayograph and eleven gelatin silver prints of Rayographs, bound into a spiral sketchbook, with ink and watercolor design by the artist on the cover.
To demonstrate the scope of the book's text to a publisher, Man Ray extensively annotated the sketchbook's inside pages, including a title page indicating design and layout, as well as listing other contemporary artists, poets and writers as potential contributors to the project. Man Ray also included two of his own contact prints, taken at the 1963 Stuttgart exhibition, '12 Rayographs: 1921-1928', with his comments jotted on the reverse. Accompanying the lot is a notepad, on which Man Ray has written an explanation of the project and its value.
In describing his work, Man Ray wrote, 'In whatever form it is finally presented, by a drawing, by a painting, by a photograph, or by the object itself in its original materials, it is designed to amuse, bewilder, annoy or inspire reflection, but not to arouse admiration for any technical excellence usually sought for in works of art. The streets are full of admirable craftsmen, but so few practical dreamers.' (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1966, Man Ray, pp. 12-13). As this extraordinary maquette exemplifies, Man Ray is clearly both. The work is not simply the sum of its parts, but a cohesive, synergetic object in its own right.
Titles and images available on request
To demonstrate the scope of the book's text to a publisher, Man Ray extensively annotated the sketchbook's inside pages, including a title page indicating design and layout, as well as listing other contemporary artists, poets and writers as potential contributors to the project. Man Ray also included two of his own contact prints, taken at the 1963 Stuttgart exhibition, '12 Rayographs: 1921-1928', with his comments jotted on the reverse. Accompanying the lot is a notepad, on which Man Ray has written an explanation of the project and its value.
In describing his work, Man Ray wrote, 'In whatever form it is finally presented, by a drawing, by a painting, by a photograph, or by the object itself in its original materials, it is designed to amuse, bewilder, annoy or inspire reflection, but not to arouse admiration for any technical excellence usually sought for in works of art. The streets are full of admirable craftsmen, but so few practical dreamers.' (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1966, Man Ray, pp. 12-13). As this extraordinary maquette exemplifies, Man Ray is clearly both. The work is not simply the sum of its parts, but a cohesive, synergetic object in its own right.
Titles and images available on request