Man Ray, the American artist and photographer who virtually defined the Parisian art scene of the early 20th century, is associated with many things. He is associated with surrealism and Dada, as well as Marcel Duchamp and André Breton. He is also associated with Lee Miller and Kiki de Montparnasse, as well as fashion designers Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel.for whom he took photographs from the interwar period, after moving from New York to Paris in 1921. As such, the famous shape-shifter bridged the worlds of art and photography. fashion like no other.
Some of Man Ray’s best-known photographs include Black and White (1926), moon face (1930), and The Violin of Ingres (1924), the last of which almost tripled the record of the most expensive photo sold at auction when it fetched $12.4 million at Christie’s in 2022.
Not only have Ray’s ingenious photographic techniques – sharp shadows, solarization, rayographs – been reproduced endlessly over the years, but he has also become an inspiration to fashion designers. His enigmatic style and humor are reflected in the collections of Yves Saint Laurent, Martin Margiela, Dries van Noten, Céline, Lanvin and Madeleine Vionnet, to name but a few. Many of them are Belgian names, which is not surprising 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 displayed alongside the fashion pieces they inspired, highlighting the defining influence of his work on fashion. contemporary fashion. Here is a selection of images illustrating Man Ray’s inimitable style and his enduring dialogue with the fashion world.
Objects from the 1965 Yves Saint Laurent collection with the photograph of Man Ray The Violin of Ingres (1924) in the background. Photo: Stany Dederen. Courtesy of MoMu.
Left: Céline, Spring-Summer 2012. Right: Man Ray, Lee Miller (1930). Photo: Stany Dederen. Courtesy of MoMu.
Left: Olivier Theyskens, spring-summer 1999 © MoMu. Photo: Julien Claessens & Thomas Deschamps. Right: Man Ray, The hair (1927). Courtesy of Fondazione Marconi, Milan © Man Ray 2015 Trust / Sabam Belgium 2023.
Left: Man Ray, Rayography “Kiki” (1922). © Man Ray 2015 Trust / Adagp, Paris, 2023 – Photo: Telimage / Adagp Images. Right: Dirk Van Saene, Autumn-Winter, 2008-09 © MoMu. Photo: Hugo Maertens.
Maison Martin Margiela collections from 1996 to 2009. Photo: Stany Dederen. Courtesy of MoMu.
Left: Maison Martin Margiela, spring-summer 1990 © MoMu. Photo: Stany Dederen. Right: Man Ray, Ms Toulgouat (around 1930). Diktats bookstore © Man Ray 2015 Trust / Sabam Belgium 2023.
From left to right: Clothing by Dirk Van Saene, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Quinten Mestdagh and Bernhard Willhelm. Photo: Stany Dederen. Courtesy of MoMu.
Left: Man Ray, Juliet (1945). Right: Jonathan Anderson for Loewe, fall-winter 2022-23. Photo: Stany Dederen. Courtesy of MoMu.
Left: Man Ray, Nancy Cunard (1926). © Center Pompidou, MNAM-CCI, dist. Rmn-Grand Palais / Man Ray 2015 Trust / Sabam Belgium 2023. Right: Dries van Noten, Autumn-Winter 2008-09 © MoMu. Photo: Stany Dederen.
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