Born
Emmanuel Radnitzky, Man Ray grew up in America but spent the greater
part of his life as an migr in Paris. Working in several media, Man
Ray's art includes painting, sculpture, collage, constructed objects
and photography. Beginning in 1921, he received hundreds of commissions
for portraits and commercial work which were featured in publications
such as Vogue, Vu, Bazaar and Vanity Fair. He was an American, but worked
in Paris from 1921 to 1940. His assistants included Berenice Abbott
and Lee Miller, and Duchamp, Stieglitz, Picasso and Dali were among
his colleagues. A member of the Dada art movement and the only American
member of the Paris Surrealist movement, Man Ray considered himself
an artist and thought of photography as a medium of artistic expression
when used for more than reproduction. In describing his work, Man Ray
once said, "I paint what can not be photographed. I photograph what
I do not wish to paint."