Man Ray's 'Le Violon d'Ingres' photograph sells for $12.4 million

[mooseontheloose]

Which now makes it the most expensive photograph ever sold:

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/man-ray-most-expensive-photograph-auction-record/index.html

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

He sure had an impressive body of work, including his early paintings. He was probably my favourite artist during the Dada movement.

 

[pentaxuser]

He was probably my favourite artist during the Dada movement.

Ah yes, the famous Dada movement. In my case, according to my mother, I was familiar with movement even before I could say Dada

Sorry couldn't resist.You can usually trust a Jock to lower the discussion. Saturday nights being the favourite time

pentaxuser

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Ah yes, the famous Dada movement. In my case, according to my mother, I was familiar with movement even before I could say Dada

Sorry couldn't resist.You can usually trust a Jock to lower the discussion. Saturday nights being the favourite time

pentaxuser

My son is 28 and still calls me dada...

 

[Don_ih]

He was probably my favourite artist during the Dada movement.

Wow, Andrew, how old does that make you?

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Wow, Andrew, how old does that make you?

 

[Terrence Brennan]

Man Ray! My favorite artist!

I remember driving from Ottawa, Ontario, to Ridgefield, New Jersey, for a show of his work, some years ago.

 

[Huss]

This is definitely at least 12 times better than that photo of a potato that ‘sold’ for $1 mill.

Or twice as good as Peter Liks pic that ‘sold’ for $6.5 mill

 

[Don_ih]

This is definitely at least 12 times better than that photo of a potato that ‘sold’ for $1 mill.

Or twice as good as Peter Liks pic that ‘sold’ for $6.5 mill

Is it 3 times as good as Cindy Sherman's Untitled #96?

 

[gone]

I saw that a Man Ray sale a while back. If I could ever make a photo that iconic (along w/ that wonderful portrait he did w/ the face pretty sharp, but the eyes bobbling), I would retire.

Whoops, I forgot about his sculpture of the iron with imposing teeth on the flat side. Amazing. He had some inspirational stuff to say too.....

“I have finally freed myself from the sticky medium of paint, and am working directly with light itself.” We would do well to do the same with the film medium.

I was into Cindy Sherman many years ago when she just started. Love her work, but Man Ray was something else. That whole era of painting and photography was one for the books.

 

[Don_ih]

but Man Ray was something else. That whole era of painting and photography was one for the books.

Yes - back when 15-20 people were actually using cameras to make art. Unlike now, when billions can do it.

 

[Huss]

Is it 3 times as good as Cindy Sherman's Untitled #96?
View attachment 319978

Yes.

 

[MattKing]

Is it 3 times as good as Cindy Sherman's Untitled #96?
View attachment 319978

Yes.

Exactly three times.
No more, no less.

 

[fs999]

We will see november 9 and 10 how much Edward Steichen's (born in Luxembourg) Flatiron will sell...

 

[Daniela]

"This beguiling Surrealist image is the result of a unique and hand-manipulated darkroom process."

I have to say that I never looked at the photograph long enough, and assumed the f-holes were just painted on her It seems that he did a photogram on top of a print...did he? They are so dark (albeit the left one is lighter and slightly more blurry than the right one) and there are no dodging/burning marks around....

In regards to the price and business side of the art world...only eye rolls...

 

[Huss]

How did Sherman get that color in #96? Warm lights? Film stock? Both?

 

[MattKing]

Lighting. I have a vague (and therefore unreliable) recollection that her work during that period was also printed using dye transfer materials.

 

[Daniela]

"This beguiling Surrealist image is the result of a unique and hand-manipulated darkroom process."

Apparently not!

Painting the f-holes of a stringed instrument onto the photographic print and then rephotographing the print, Man Ray altered what was originally a classical nude.

Source: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/104E4A

 

[gone]

I would have thought they were painted on, they certainly look painted on. With Man Ray you never know though, he was always experimenting. The portrait below w/ the double eyes is my favorite. I'd love to know how he did that. Double exposure? In the darkroom?

The more I look at his work and the other Surrealist photographers of his time, the more I want to sell the cameras, lock up the darkroom and just go fishing.

Man Ray | Marquise Casati (1922) | Artsy

From Art Resource, Man Ray, Marquise Casati (1922), Silver positive on glass plate

www.artsy.net

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I saw that a Man Ray sale a while back. If I could ever make a photo that iconic (along w/ that wonderful portrait he did w/ the face pretty sharp, but the eyes bobbling), I would retire.

Whoops, I forgot about his sculpture of the iron with imposing teeth on the flat side. Amazing. He had some inspirational stuff to say too.....

“I have finally freed myself from the sticky medium of paint, and am working directly with light itself.” We would do well to do the same with the film medium.

I was into Cindy Sherman many years ago when she just started. Love her work, but Man Ray was something else. That whole era of painting and photography was one for the books.

Unfortunately, you have to die first before you get an iconic picture. Then you can retire.

 

[Daniela]

I would have thought they were painted on, they certainly look painted on. With Man Ray you never know though, he was always experimenting. The portrait below w/ the double eyes is my favorite. I'd love to know how he did that. Double exposure? In the darkroom?

The more I look at his work and the other Surrealist photographers of his time, the more I want to sell the cameras, lock up the darkroom and just go fishing.

Man Ray | Marquise Casati (1922) | Artsy

From Art Resource, Man Ray, Marquise Casati (1922), Silver positive on glass plate

www.artsy.net

I'd guess double exposure, making the marquise move her head slightly down for the second shot.. You can see that the nostrils look slightly stretched up. And if you look at other pictures of her, her lower lip is thicker than her upper one, but not in this picture, as if it was "hidden" by the upper one...yet the irises on the lower set of eyes look slightly smaller than the top ones...did he make her go backwards instead? That could explain why the outline of the face remains pretty consistent...who knows! Now what are those scratches around her neck?