Man Ray1890 – 1976

He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each were informal. He produced major works in a variety of media but considered himself a painter above all. He was best known for his photography, and he was a renowned fashion and portrait photographer.

Many Dadaists believed that the 'reason' and 'logic' of bourgeois capitalist society had led people into war. They expressed their rejection of that ideology in artistic expression that appeared to reject logic and embrace chaos and irrationality.

The Surrealist aim was to "resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality." Artists painted unnerving, illogical scenes with photographic precision, created strange creatures from everyday objects and developed painting techniques that allowed the unconscious to express itself and/or an idea/concept.

The Kiss1930

Woman with Long Hair1929

Tears1930-1932

Le Violon d'Ingres1924

Kiki de Montparnasse

Marquise Casati1922

André Breton1930

Rrose Sélavy (Marcel Duchamp)1923

Rayograph1924

Rayograph1924