Man Ray and Fashion
MoMu highlights the oeuvre of Man Ray from the perspective of fashion.
Visitor information
Visitor information
Description of the exhibition
The exhibition includes photographs he took for prominent couturiers, such as Paul Poiret, Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel, as well as for important fashion magazines, including Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Vogue. Man Ray was an innovator who employed technical ingenuity and humour to ultimately change the way dress would be depicted. His experimental procedures and surrealist winks of the eye brought art and fashion closer together and still influence fashion photography today. Contemporary fashion designers continue to find inspiration in his work, and this is especially true of Belgian fashion designers, with their predilection for Surrealism.
Dig deeper
Man Ray and Fashion
'Man Ray and Fashion' is an exhibition that unites Man Ray’s iconic photography and works of art with interbellum fashion silhouettes and the work of contemporary fashion designers and photographers inspired by his work. Among others, the exhibition includes creations by Chanel, Maison Lanvin, Madeleine Vionnet, Norine, Yves Saint Laurent, Martin Margiela, Olivier Theyskens, LOEWE and Dries Van Noten.
Left: Maison Martin Margiela, Spring-Summer 1990 | Right: Man Ray, Madame Toulgouat, c. 1930, Diktats, Paris 1/3
Left: Timmermans, evening dress, 1925-27 | Right: Man Ray, Les Larmes, 1932, private collection, Courtesy Fondazione Marconi, Milan 2/3
Left: Man Ray, Solarisation Fingers, 1931, Fotomuseum Antwerp | Right: Helena Lumelsky, Autumn-Winter 2009-10 3/3
The exhibition is co-organised by MoMu and the Réunion des Musées Nationaux – Grand Palais, in partnership with the City of Marseille Museums. It was initially presented in Marseille from November 2019 to March 2020 at the Musée Cantini and at the Chateau Borély, then in Paris, at the Musée du Luxembourg from September 2020 to January 2021. MoMu reworked the exhibition concept with an adapted exhibition design, while further linking it with Belgian and contemporary fashion.
Man Ray, Rayographie “Kiki”, 1922 1/3
Left: Man Ray, Obstruction, 1920, 1964 | Right: Man Ray, Coat Stand, 1920 2/3
Man Ray, Lee Miller, 1930 3/3
On the occasion of the exhibition, the book ‘Man Ray and Fashion’ is published by Stockmans Art Books.
Exhibition under the lead of
Curator MoMu: Romy Cockx
Guest curators: Claude Miglietti, Catherine Örmen, Alain Sayag
Exhibition design: Ania Martchenko
Graphic design: Jelle Jespers
Campaign image: Man Ray, Tête de femme vue en plongée, 1930/1979, private collection, Courtesy Fondazione Marconi, Milan © Man Ray 2015 Trust / Sabam Belgium 2023.