MAN RAY

An avant-garde art master and fashion photography leader Man Ray (1890-1976) was one of the driving forces of avant-garde art in the 20th century, closely associated with surrealism and the Dada movement, as well as with the modernism that swept Paris during the 1920s and 30s. This exhibition features 156 of his works, including some of the most representative works of his various artistic stages. 

Man Ray caused a sensation with his portrait photographs, and his distinctive photograms and solarization technique earned him considerable artistic status. He honed his photogram technique to a high degree of perfection, and subsequently called these works "rayographs" after himself. His rayographs seamlessly combine ready-made objects, collages, pictures, and photographs, and formed a major part of his trademark image vocabulary. Thanks to his solarization technique, Man Ray's portrait photographs are suffused with a dreamy atmosphere, which adds the texture of a painting. He created countless distinguished portrait photographs of the noted writers, poets, and artists who frequented Paris Montparnasse district. His portraits of the prominent Kiki of Montparnasse seems to be narrating an enchanting immortal saga. Man Ray was also a pioneering fashion photographer, and his photographs frequently graced the pages of such well-known fashion magazines as Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, and Vanity Fair during the 1920s. 

While some of Man Ray's most famous photographs form the core of this exhibition, it also includes some of his works that attracted less attention in the past, such as oil paintings, sculpture and ready-made objects, film, movie stills, illustrations, and some of the rare books and painting albums that he produced and published. As a result, the exhibition provides a glimpse of his extraordinary creative power. For instance, five oil paintings never before displayed in a single exhibition evoke his different artistic stages spanning the period from 1910 to 1950. The exhibition also contains 14 ready-made objects and sculptures expressing his interest in surrealism and the Dada movement. In particular, six "chessboard" works designed by Man Ray, is the single largest assemblage of these items, and for the first time shown in Taiwan and Asia.

Taiwan

28 February 2014 - 25 May 2014

Collaboration with VISAGE SAS

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