Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky) - Le Violon d'Ingres, 1924

Man Ray, Le Violon d'Ingres, 1924.

'Copyright 2001 Man Ray Trust, Paris / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn' on the bottom back. Total dimensions: 36,5 x 28,2 cm on semi-gloss paper. Fine condition. Printed Lated, 2000's.

Taken in 1924, Le Violon d’Ingres stands as one of the most iconic and reproduced photographs in the history of art. In this image, Man Ray—a leading figure of Surrealism and the Parisian avant-garde—transforms the female body into a musical instrument, merging sensuality, intellect, and irony. The f-holes painted on Kiki de Montparnasse’s back turn her into a living violin, a metaphor for the fusion between human form and artistic creation.

Beyond its erotic grace, the work embodies the surrealist ideal of metamorphosis—where reality yields to imagination. Le Violon d’Ingres is both playful and profound: a visual pun that questions the act of looking and the objectification inherent in art itself.

Man Ray (1890–1976), born in Philadelphia and active in Paris, was one of the great experimenters of the 20th century, a pioneer who blurred the boundaries between photography, painting, and sculpture. His influence extends to Dora Maar, Lee Miller, André Kertész, Brassaï, Hans Bellmer, Herbert List, Irving Penn, and Richard Avedon, among many others.

A cornerstone of modern photography—where desire becomes geometry, and thought becomes vision.