Man Ray (Taschen Icons) [Hardcover]

TASCHEN (Author)

Book Description

Series: Taschen Icons | Publication Date: November 1, 2008

This is a comprehensive overview of the life and work of the groundbreaking artist Man Ray (1890-1976) who broke down the boundaries between photography and graphic design with his innovative techniques.Man Ray is indisputably one of the most original artists of the 20th century. His revolutionary nude studies, fashion work, and portraits opened a new chapter in the history of photography. Born under the name of Emmanuel Radnitzky in Philadelphia, he began his artistic career in New York. In 1921 he moved to Paris, where he was enthusiastically welcomed into Dadaist and Surrealist circles. Man Ray experimented tirelessly with new photographic techniques, multiple exposure, rayography, and solarization being some of his most famous. Erotic, playful, and sometimes sinister, his compositions show unusual bodies and objects: strange, striking images that transform our perceptions of reality. This collection of famous, lesser known, and unknown works fully illustrates Man Ray's singular visionary power.More bang for your buck! '...a fast-food, high-energy fix on the topic at hand' - "The New York Times Book Review".

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Cet ouvrage, enrichi d'un texte d'Andre Breton, et d'eclairages erudits des deux auteurs, revele des images meconnues." - 60 millions de consommateurs, Paris"

About the Author

Manfred Heiting is an internationally renowned expert and collector of photography. He lives in Amsterdam and Los Angeles. He is on the board of the German Photographic Society, on the advisory council of the August Sander Archiv in Cologne, and on the board of fellows of the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, Arizona.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 190 pages
• Publisher: Taschen (November 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3836507986
• ISBN-13: 978-3836507981
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #910,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not an introduction for beginners, March 8, 2002

By 

D. Johnson (Palo Alto, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Man Ray (TASCHEN Icons Series) (Paperback)

This small book is part of a vague series called Icons by Taschen. They are a dim reflection on some of their larger works.

This book is definitely not for beginners, not meant to be an introduction to Man Ray. However, it has some value for people familiar with Man Ray, Andre Breton and/or Dada. Think of it as material for art history or food for thought about the time.

Do yourself a favor and don't try to learn about Man Ray from this book or any of the enthusiastic or overblown "reviews" of it. Start with something more comprehensive.

If and when you already know about Man Ray and where he fits, get this book and carry it around when you want to feed your head a little. It is nicely done and fills that need very well.

For those unfamiliar with Man Ray, he is not primarily known as a photographer and never intended to be. It is probably the ease of publishing his photographs that has distracted people to thinking of him this way. Don't miss the rest of his work, especially his writing. Read his autobiography and use his photographs as a "program" to identify the players, perhaps.