Lee Miller and Man Ray's Photography Collaboration Explored in Venice

The exhibition 'Lee Miller – Man Ray, Fashion Love War' at Palazzo Franchetti in Venice examines the artistic and romantic collaboration between Lee Miller and Man Ray. Miller, initially a model, became a pioneering photographer under Man Ray's mentorship in 1930s Paris. Together they rediscovered the Sabattier effect (solarization), a technique intensifying lines and chiaroscuro. Miller also contributed to Man Ray's 'Electricité' series of rayographs for the French electric company, only recently attributed to her. The show features over 100 photographs, including Miller's fashion shots, war photojournalism from WWII (including Dachau liberation), and surrealist works. A film excerpt from Jean Cocteau's 'Le sang d'un poète' shows Miller's lips voicing a Greek statue. The exhibition highlights Miller's emancipation from model to artist, her experimentation in the darkroom, and her ability to capture both beauty and horror.