The Best Sale Ever
Lot 29:
Description
Keywords: NO RESERVE, Surrealism, Dada, avant-garde, experimental photography, modernism, chess imagery, chess pieces, conceptual art, self-referential imagery, artistic identity, Paris art scene, 20th century modern, photographic collage, mixed media composition, signed in ink
Summary:
Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky, American, 1890–1976).signed photomontage self-portrait, centered on a large portrait of the artist and incorporating multiple self-referential photographic images in the lower composition. At right, the artist is depicted playing chess in a documented self-portrait image; at left, an earlier self-image shows the artist in a contemplative pose accompanied by Man Ray–designed chess pieces, suggesting a temporal dialogue between youth and maturity unified through chess imagery.
Chess was a recurring intellectual and symbolic motif in Man Ray’s life and work, and its use here reinforces themes of strategy, identity, and artistic self-reflection central to his Surrealist and Dada practice. Signed “Man Ray” in ink within the image area. Presented in a deep shadowbox-style frame. The reverse retains original Christie’s inventory and barcode labels
Measurement: Sight: 9 1/2 x 5 3/4 in. (24.1 x 14.6 cm.), Frame: 15 1/4 x 11 1/4 in. (38.7 x 28.6 cm.) approx
Condition: All descriptions and statements are our opinions and are not guarantees. Bidders are encouraged to carefully review all photographs and, when possible, to examine items in person prior to bidding. By placing a bid, you acknowledge and agree to the Terms and Conditions of Sale.
All items are sold as is and may show signs of age, use, wear, or prior restoration. Photographs form an integral part of each lot’s description. The absence of a condition report or notation does not imply that an item is free from defects or in perfect condition.
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Accordingly, all works are offered and sold as is and as attributed to the artist or maker named in the description. These attributions reflect our best professional judgment and are intended to provide collectors, researchers, and institutions the opportunity to study and further contextualize the material offered. Attributions remain open to future scholarly research or professional evaluation that may further establish a work’s art-historical or market significance.
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