Man Ray

Rayographs are camera-less photographs made by placing objects directly on light-sensitive paper and exposing them to light. Man Ray developed the technique in Paris in the early 1920s and made it central to Dada and Surrealist photography.

Le Violon d'Ingres, made in 1924, shows Kiki de Montparnasse with violin f-holes added to her back. The image turns a portrait into a witty Surrealist object, linking the body, music, and art history.

Man Ray moved from the United States to Paris in 1921 and became closely connected with artists and writers around Dada and Surrealism. He photographed figures such as André Breton, Lee Miller, and other members of the Paris avant-garde.

Lee Miller worked with Man Ray in Paris and was his collaborator, model, and partner around 1929 to 1932. Their experiments are often linked to solarization, a darkroom effect that creates glowing outlines and tonal reversals.