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Le Monde

Artist Man Ray (American, 1890-1976)

Publisher La Compagnie Parisienne de Distribution d'Électricité

CultureAmerican

Date1931

MediumPhotogravure

DimensionsOverall, Image: 10 1/4 x 8 in. (26 x 20.3 cm)
Overall, Support: 14 3/4 x 10 7/8 in. (37.5 x 27.6 cm)
Overall, Mat: 25 1/2 × 22 1/4 in. (64.8 × 56.5 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase, in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank, and gift of Decipher, Inc.

Object number98.30.5

Not on view

DescriptionThis is one of ten photogravures of original Rayograms; it is Edition 362/500. The portfolio was commissioned by a French electric company in order to promote the use of electricity.Each print is approximately 10 1/2 x 8 inches (26 x 20.3 cm) or the reverse, tipped to the mount. Each is contained in an individual vellum wrapper with printed title. Six page letterpress introductory text is by Pierre Bost.

Label TextMan Ray (Emmanuel Radnitsky) American (1890-1976) Le Monde, 1931 Photogravure Museum purchase, gift of Decipher, Inc. and in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank 98.30.5 Born in Philadelphia, Emmanuel Radnitsky changed his name to the more dynamic Man Ray. Creating his most significant work while living in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s, he did return to America for a time, but returned to Paris where he died. 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 Rayographs-objects placed on photographic paper and exposed to light-and solarized portraits distinguished him as one of the medium's unique, iconoclastic talents. This Rayograph comes from a portfolio commissioned by a French electric company to promote the use of their product. Entitled Électricité, the portfolio contained ten photogravure plates in an edition of 500. Because every Rayograph was a unique object, the photogravure process was employed to produce a limited number of replicas. Wielding complete creative control over the project, Man Ray designed packaging for the portfolio that is itself an integral part of that work of art. Edited By: DS Edited Date: 2006 Approved By: DS Approval Date: 01/31/2007Exhibition History"Man Ray's `Électricité,'" Alice R. and Sol B. Frank Photography Galleries, Chrysler Museum of Art, September 23, 1999-January 2, 2000.