Sculptures, or the hypothetical possibility of them, fascinated Man Ray, who littered his letters with references to them, or hinted at their forms in photographs, despite the fact the existence of these original pieces has since been shrouded in doubt.
Man Ray, Cadeau, c.1958
Throughout his career, Man Ray built on these omissions, creating alternative versions of these perhaps mythical works that he referred to as ‘replicas’, ‘editions’ or ‘new originals’. Now, the eclectic creation process of these pieces is explored in a New York exhibition, ‘Man Ray: Other Objects’, at Luxembourg + Co, which traces how the objects came into being, surreal motifs subverted in endless reproduction.
Man Ray, Vénus, 1937
‘This part of Man Ray’s oeuvre has seen less exploration and holds within it what we feel was his artistic revolution,’ says Alma Luxembourg, director of Luxembourg + Co. ‘Some of the stories relating to the original objects which have been lost, destroyed, dismantled, etc, are fascinating and surprising. What is also surprising is the creativity with which Man Ray returned to remake them again and again at various times and often with very small but significant differences. There is a lot of depth within his explorations of the same objects.’
Man Ray, New York 1917, 1966
The exhibition encompasses five object groups, from a metronome to a flat iron, a mobile made of coat hangers, a female torso in plaster and a group of small sculptures. ‘Tracking the evolution of these five groups of objects is a wonderful way to both explore the life of Man Ray (his romantic life, his travels, his contacts with other artists and dealers) and to look at the way in which he goes against the concept of the original art object to champion the multiple and explore the complex variations that the multiple can afford,’ Luxembourg adds.
Man Ray, Vénus restaurée, 1971
‘Several objects in the show have never been exhibited previously in the US, for example, Vénus, from the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome. On top of that, this will be a rare opportunity for visitors to encounter multiple objects all together on one table. In some cases, there will be over ten variations of the same object! This is unprecedented and I hope it will give an opportunity to see and study Man Ray’s creative and revolutionary approach – in praise of the multiple!’
‘Man Ray: Other Objects’, 6 September – 2 December 2023, Luxembourg + Co, New York
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