In 1914, when he adopted this pseudonym he still wasn’t interested in photography, but it was in his destiny. Man Ray, was chosen to substitute his unpronounceable name (Emmanuel and probably Radnitzky) .Nothing was ever casual in Man Ray’s work , every choice was dictated by a need to communicate through symbols. Every piece was an instrument with which he transmitted his cultural and imaginative work. He lived his life between America (he was born in Philadelphia in 1890 and moved to New York in 1897) and Paris, which became his artistic home at the age of 31 and where he died in 1976. He is considered to be one of the greatest artists of the 20th century .

As much as for personal interest as for survival (photos paid more than paintings),he decided to take up fashion and portrait photography. He took snaps of the many artists of the various arts ,from painters to writers, from sculptors to musicians. A first was Marcel Proust on his death bed ,Duchamp, Picabia, Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Brancusi and many more. Man Ray was in contact with the most important artists of the age, both in Europe and America .

Forced by economic problems he also worked in the fashion sector. First for the tailor Paul Poiret, who gave him the chance to gain experience (which was successful) and finally working for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Starting from the mid 1920s both magazines regularly published his photos.

Throughout his career Man Ray experimented new techniques identified through his never ending research to freely express his ideas, fears, anxieties and wishes. Stimulating works, synthesis of instinct for which he used unusual techniques, so as to surprise us with a different outlook on society: “ in whichever form the object takes, it must amuse , disorient, bore and force you to reflect ,but not create admiration for its technical perfection .The world is full of great artisans, but few practical dreamers.” Man Ray’s ideas were so ingenious that they had a profound influence on contemporary art . Man Ray’s photography can be defined as a rebus, the reconstruction of a phrase through an image , an invite to keep looking at things with a different outlook and in particular a non-conventional one.

His first works followed the technique of Clichè Verre (1917), which consisted of scraping a pane of painted glass with a sharp piece of metal, thus creating a picture: the pane of glass was then placed on top of a piece of sensitive paper. Even if it is considered more a graphic technique ,rather than a photographic one ,it’s the first step to express that creative thought must dominate .

His famous Rayographs were another experimental technique , “photos without a camera” . Also the technique of over exposure , experimented with one of his “companions” Lee Miller, an ex-model who lived with Man Ray .Among his models is the famous French singer Kiki ,known throughout the world as Kiki de Montparnasse .

Lots has been written about Man Ray .His first biography, written by Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes was published in 1930. Proof of his untiring artistic production in various sectors, painting , photography and graphic design.. This was followed in1934 by a monograph written by James Thrall entitled “Man Ray photographs 1920- Paris 1934. With Man Ray photography is freed of all links to the reproduction of fact and becomes a medium of artistic expression and it is this step that has been debated through the years within the art world