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A Brief Biography of Photographer Man Ray
By Paul Rance
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Man Ray was one of the first great artists of photography, and broke new ground in art and film.
An American Jew, Man Ray was really a truncated form of his real name Emmanuel Radnitzky. Living in a period when anti-Semitism was steadily rising, Man Ray was pragmatic about his own career. Though living much of his early life in a cosmopolitan city like New York probably protected him from the extreme racism which was happening in parts of Europe.
Being a key part of the Dadaism and Surrealism movements (though only really gaining true appreciation after his death), Man Ray considered himself primarily a painter, though he is best known for his avant-garde photography. He also made a number of critically acclaimed avant-garde films. Man Ray's photographic subjects included James Joyce, Jean Cocteau, and Gertrude Stein. Moving to Paris in the early 1920s saw Man Ray flourish, and his work was displayed in the first exhibition of Surrealism in 1925 - alongside work by Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, and Joan Miro.
Birth Name Emmanuel Radnitzky
Born August 27, 1890
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died November 18, 1976 (aged 86)
Paris, France
Nationality American (United States)
Training Ferrer School
Movement Surrealism, Dadaism
Fields Painting, Photography, Assemblage, Collage, Film
Copyright © 2022 Paul Rance