Man Ray's LA

Artist Man Ray explored a variety of different styles in his artistic career including filmmaking, painting, and photography. Early in his career, he focused primarily on realism and fashion photography. This exhibition, entitled 'Man Ray's LA', portrays Man Ray's creative outlook during a time of his life spent in California. In the early 1940s, Man Ray was a surrealist artist in France looking to escape war violence. His decision to relocate to California was an unusual choice, as most pioneering artists pursued work in New York. However, Man Ray had a specific vision to expand his creative horizons and establish a name for himself in California. During this time, he had a goal to move his artwork away from commercial photography and intentionally focus on fine arts based on his surroundings. Man Ray's surroundings in California inspired him to create a series of photographs centered around many famous and well-known figures. He intentionally produced very abstract images with a wide spectrum of black and white contrast. This distinct surrealism style served to highlight and accentuate the figures and silhouettes of the models Man Ray photographed and to give the viewer a glimpse of the lifestyles in the Hollywood setting. His fine art visual styles and photographs eventually established a name for Man Ray, as they were incorporated into various publications. These unique images promoted different celebrities and figures and altered how they were viewed in the press and to the public.

 

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1940 to 1951