New exhibition reveals how Man Ray brought art and fashion together

A new exhibition reveals how Man Ray, the enigmatic surrealist photographer, bridged the worlds of art and fashion. “Man Ray and Fashion” runs until August 13 at MoMu, the fashion museum in Antwerp, Belgium.

Man Ray, the American artist and photographer who practically defined the Parisian art scene of the early 20th century, is associated with many things. He is associated with surrealism and dadaism, and with artists such as Marcel Duchamp and André Breton. Ray is also associated with Lee Miller and Kiki de Montparnasse, as well as the couturiers Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel, for whom he took photographs in the early interwar years, after moving from New York to Paris in 1921. As such, the celebrated shape-shifter has united the worlds of art and fashion like no other.

Some of the best-known photographs of Man Ray include “Noire et Blanche” (1926), “Lune sur le Visage” (1930) and “Le Violon d'Ingres” (1924), the last of which nearly tripled the record for the most expensive photograph sold at auction when it fetched $ 12.4 million at Christie's in 2022.

Not only have Ray's ingenious photographic techniques - full shading, solarization, x-rays - been endlessly reproduced over the years, he has also become a source of inspiration for fashion designers. His style and enigmatic humor were reflected in the collections of Yves Saint Laurent, Martin Margiela, Dries van Noten, Celine, Lanvin and Madeleine Vionnet, to name just a few. Many of them are Belgian names, which may not come as a surprise given the country's avant-garde history.

In "Man Ray and Fashion” (until August 13) at MoMu, Antwerp's fashion museum, the artist's photographs are presented alongside fashion pieces they inspired, highlighting the fundamental influence of his work on contemporary fashion.

Source: Artnet News