Man Ray Retrospective at Conversano Castle Explores Surrealist Photography

A major retrospective of Man Ray, titled "Man Ray: l'uomo infinito" (The Infinite Man), is on view at the Castello di Conversano in Puglia, Italy, as part of the literature festival "Il Libro Possibile - Arte." Organized by the association Artes with support from the municipality, the exhibition is curated by Vincenzo De Bellis and features around one hundred works from the Fondazione Marconi. The show traces Man Ray's career from his encounter with Marcel Duchamp, who inspired his "Objets d'affection"—eccentric relatives of readymades—through his engagement with Dada and Surrealism, and his pioneering photographic experiments. Eight thematic sections examine his relationships with avant-garde movements and his drive to liberate photography from mere reproduction, elevating it to a creative medium through techniques like rayographs, solarization, and toning. Highlights include portraits of Duchamp with a star-shaped tonsure or as Rrose Sélavy, "Les Larmes" with glassy tears on faded close-ups, "Noire et Blanche" referencing African masks, "Le violon d'Ingres" transforming a back into a musical instrument, and fifty portraits of his last companion and muse, Juliet Browner. The exhibition runs until November 18, 2017, at the Castello di Conversano.