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La photographie n'est pas l'art: 12 photographies (Photography is Not Art: 12 Photographs)

A work made of twelve unbound reproductions of photographs in a double wrapper of blue printed with the title, and black with a window cut to frame the title; accompanied by a mounted gelatin silver print on loose cardstock with a handwritten dedication.

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  • A work made of twelve unbound reproductions of photographs in a double wrapper of blue printed with the title, and black with a window cut to frame the title; accompanied by a mounted gelatin silver print on loose cardstock with a handwritten dedication.

Date:

Paris: G.L.M., 1937

Artist:

Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky; American, 1890-1976)
Foreword by André Breton (French, 1896-1966)

About this artwork

This collaboration between photographer Man Ray and poet André Breton demonstrates the ironic tone of many Surrealist works. Wryly titled “Photography is not art,” the book combines text and photography to create a dreamlike flow of contradictions and unexpected pairings. Breton’s introduction lists a series of fantastical hopes and wishes, and Man Ray’s photographs swing between the mundane (a portrait of actress Myriam Hopkins titled with her name) to the strange (a skyscraper captioned “utility air vent”).

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Ryerson and Burnham Libraries Special Collections

Artist

Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky)

Title

La photographie n'est pas l'art: 12 photographies (Photography is Not Art: 12 Photographs)

Place

Paris (Object made in:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Published 1937

Medium

Twelve unbound reproductions of photographs in a double wrapper of blue printed with the title, and black with a window cut to frame the title; accompanied by a mounted gelatin silver print on loose cardstock with a handwritten dedication

Inscriptions

Insert inscribed by Man Ray "Bonne Année; Man Ray 1936"

Dimensions

H.: 25 cm (9 7/8 in.)

Credit Line

Mary Reynolds Collection, Ryerson & Burnham Libraries

Reference Number

2020.43

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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