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Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitsky, 1890-1976)
Electricité, 1931
Photogravure, 10 1/4 x 8 inches
Purchase, gift of Decipher, Inc. and in Memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank
© Man Ray Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY / ADAGP, Paris

Just as Man Ray was influenced by his associations with DuChamp, Dadaism, Cubism, and Surrealism, so were his own artworks difficult to categorize. He made photographs, films, paintings, and found-object sculptures with interchangeable fluency and innovative skill. Within photography, his series of "Rayograms" - objects placed on photographic paper and exposed to light - and solarized portraits distinguished him as one of the medium's unique, iconoclastic talents.

His most significant work was created while living in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1931, a French electric company commissioned him to create a portfolio of Rayograms promoting the use of their product. Entitled Électricité, the portfolio contained ten photogravure plates in an edition of 500.

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