"My works were designed to amuse, annoy, bewilder, mystify and inspire reflection.”
Man Ray
The exhibition is dedicated to Man Ray, one of the most visionary and innovative artists of the 20th Century, and it features over forty works –including paintings, assemblages, photographs, gouaches and prints – produced between the 1920s and the 1970s, offering a broad perspective on the diverse and prolific production of the American artist, who adopted Paris as his home for most of his life.
Emmanuel Radnitzky (1890-1976), better known asMan Ray, was born in the United States into a Russian-Jewish family. He adopted his pseudonym in 1909 after moving to New York, where he became involved in the art scene and in the city's avant-garde circles.
Throughout his long career, Man Ray consistently reinvented his artistic language, transforming his work into an ever-evolving spectacle of metamorphosis. His work combined irony and iconoclasm, blending experimentation with wit, and reflecting his relentless pursuit of innovation and artistic exploration. The chaos and upheaval of the ever-changing modern world, overwhelmed by political events, deeply influenced his art, clashing with the resistance of matter and fueling a constant process of creative transformation.
With this exhibition, Tommaso Calabro continues his commitment to celebrate artists associated with Surrealism and the gallerist Alexander Iolas, paying tribute to a unique and revolutionary figure who redefined 20th Century avant-garde art.