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拍品专文
Whenever I deviated from orthodox practice it was simply because the subject demanded a new approach; I applied or invented techniques for emphasis of the points that seemed important. Only superficial critics could accuse me of trickiness; if ever I had any doubts of the value of my departure from the norm, such criticism convinced me that what I was doing was valid, that I was on the right track. --Man Ray
While variants of this image by Man Ray are commonly known as Portmanteau or Coat Stand, the present version, with the censorial white rectangle, appeared in the artist's 1921 journal, New York Dada, published in collaboration with Marcel Duchamp. In Merry Foresta's catalogue introduction for the 1989 exhibition, Perpetual Motif: The Art of Man Ray, Foresta contextualizes the image's appearance in the dada journal:
Published in April 1921 in collaboration with Duchamp, New York Dada featured a letter from [Tristan] Tzara applauding the transatlantic extension of the movement. Illustrating this 'preface' was a graphic admonition to 'Keep Smiling' and Man Ray's image of a human coatstand labeled dadaphoto. In lieu of a personal credit line, Man Ray chose a more universal, though distinctly American-sounding, tag for his work: Trademark Reg. Thus did he stake out his territory: the photomechanical reproduction of his photograph of an ephemeral object--a mix of nude and painted display manikin--simultaneously covered all media, while giving none precedence. Although later in Paris it would appropriately be titled Portmanteau, for this occasion it was most definitely a dada-photo, neither identifiable nor exact, linking the image, and Man Ray, with a kind of art that could be many things for many purposes (Merry Foresta, Perpetual Motif, pp. 24-25).
The present lot is reproduced at 1:1 scale in the 1921 New York Dada referred to above, and bears inscriptions and inch markings on the verso that point to this being the object used by Man Ray for reproduction purposes. It is a small, potent example of Man Ray's lasting influence over the last 100 years.
While variants of this image by Man Ray are commonly known as Portmanteau or Coat Stand, the present version, with the censorial white rectangle, appeared in the artist's 1921 journal, New York Dada, published in collaboration with Marcel Duchamp. In Merry Foresta's catalogue introduction for the 1989 exhibition, Perpetual Motif: The Art of Man Ray, Foresta contextualizes the image's appearance in the dada journal:
Published in April 1921 in collaboration with Duchamp, New York Dada featured a letter from [Tristan] Tzara applauding the transatlantic extension of the movement. Illustrating this 'preface' was a graphic admonition to 'Keep Smiling' and Man Ray's image of a human coatstand labeled dadaphoto. In lieu of a personal credit line, Man Ray chose a more universal, though distinctly American-sounding, tag for his work: Trademark Reg. Thus did he stake out his territory: the photomechanical reproduction of his photograph of an ephemeral object--a mix of nude and painted display manikin--simultaneously covered all media, while giving none precedence. Although later in Paris it would appropriately be titled Portmanteau, for this occasion it was most definitely a dada-photo, neither identifiable nor exact, linking the image, and Man Ray, with a kind of art that could be many things for many purposes (Merry Foresta, Perpetual Motif, pp. 24-25).
The present lot is reproduced at 1:1 scale in the 1921 New York Dada referred to above, and bears inscriptions and inch markings on the verso that point to this being the object used by Man Ray for reproduction purposes. It is a small, potent example of Man Ray's lasting influence over the last 100 years.