Comis, Guido (curator) — Man Ray

Milan, Skira Editore S.p.A. 2011. Hardcover. Yellow paper over boards with black lettering on spine. Black and BW-illustrated dust jacket. 325 pp. Hundreds of BW, some color illustrations. Catalogue of an exhibition held at the Museo d'Arte della Citta di Lugano, March 26-June 19, 2011. An exciting monograph dedicated to an extraordinary figure and one of last century's most famous and influential artists. Man Ray (1890-1976) was a photographer, painter, and creator of objects, experimental films, and images which were at times enigmatic. This catalog, which presents more than 200 works and compares and contrasts images with biographical details, is divided into three main sections: Man Ray's formative years spent between New York and an artists' colony in Ridgefield, New Jersey; the Paris period; and the period spent between Hollywood and Paris, France-the city he ultimately chose to adopt as his home. The publication describes the creation of some of his most famous pieces and the motifs-very often of females-that inspired the works. Man Ray's life was marked by a succession of love affairs with famous and intriguing women, and this catalog dedicates several sections to this topic. The book also deals with the themes permeating Man Ray's work throughout the years, such as his passion for chess, the relationship between reality and illusion, and experimental photography and film. Comparisons are also made with the works of some of the most important artists of the twentieth century, such as Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, Constantin Brancusi, Jean Arp, and Francis Picabia. Contents as follows: "A painting must be an idea" Man Ray / Marco Franciolli -- Examples of transformation and reappearance in Man Ray's drawings and paintings / Guido Comis -- Many Ray the transgression of images/ Janus -- I. Anatomy of a Life Philadelphia-New York-Ridgefield, 1890-1921 -- New York And Ridgefield. 1912-1921 -- Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp And Chess -- II. Anatomy of a Love Paris, 1921-1940 -- Dada In New York And Paris -- Eye And The Gaze -- Artist Friends. Paris 1921-1939 -- Goddesses And Models -- Masks, Ambiguity, And The Veiled Personality -- Reality And Fiction -- Les Amies -- Rayographs -- La Mode Au Congo -- De Sade And Lautreamont -- III. Anatomy of a War From Paris to Los Angeles, 1940-1951 -- Metamorphosis -- IV. Anatomy of a Philosophy Paris, 1951-1976 -- Juliet. From Hollywood To Paris. 1939-1976. VG/VG in remnants of shrinkwrap .