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MAN RAY (American, 1890-1976) PORTRAIT OF ELSA SCHIAPARELLI signed “Man Ray, Paris” in pencil on ...

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:15,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD
MAN RAY (American, 1890-1976) PORTRAIT OF ELSA SCHIAPARELLI signed “Man Ray, Paris” in pencil on ...
MAN RAY
(American, 1890-1976)
PORTRAIT OF ELSA SCHIAPARELLI
signed “Man Ray, Paris”
in pencil on recto
stamped “Rue Campagne-Premiere” on verso of mount
solarized gelatin silver print
111?2 x 81?2 in. (29.2 x 21.6 cm)
circa 1929-1930
ESTIMATE: $15,000-20,000
Shortly after moving to Paris in 1921, Man Ray became frustrated by lack of sales and decided to establish himself as a professional photographer to make ends meet. In Paris, Man Ray’s strategy was to photograph sculpture or paintings for artist friends then request a portrait sitting afterwards; the portraits often so charmed their subjects that Man Ray was able to sell them prints. Man Ray’s portraits—especially those of luminaries such as Jean Cocteau, Gertrude Stein and James Joyce—soon began to garner him some attention. He quickly became famous for the bold simplicity of his portraiture style.
In this portrait of fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, the strong composition is built around the gently sloping diagonal separating subject from background. The simple and bold geometry invites us to focus on Schiaparelli’s placid, impassive face and the few discernible details of her clothing.
Schiaparelli was closely intertwined with the Parisian art world and was known for her avant-garde designs and her association with Surrealism. She collaborated with Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau and Alberto Giacometti. Her bold use of color (she is said to have invented hot pink) and of fanciful shapes including ice cream cones, tear drops, butterflies and other animals helped to make her the style arbiter of the 1930s and eventually win her a following in the United States, where her designs appeared in over thirty Hollywood films.