PARIS.- Today, Sotheby’s Paris Man Ray sale realised €2,716,075 ($3,734,413) and concluded a series of two photography sales which brought a combined total of €4.8 million ($6.3 million). Today’s auction which encompasses more than 50 years of Man Ray’s artistic output was the most comprehensive ensemble of works by the artist to come to the market in nearly 20 years, since the legendary sale held by Sotheby’s in 1995. Coming directly from the Man Ray estate, the offering included works in all media (photography, painting, Surrealist objects, chess sets and experimental films), capturing the full range of the artist’s career.

Today’s star lot, Much Ado about Nothing, a 1949 Surrealist painting from Man Ray’s “Shakespearean Equations” series, soared above estimate and achieved €187,500 ($257,799) (lot 25, est. €60,000-80,000 / $81,500-109,000).

Yesterday, Sotheby’s Paris Photography sale was led by Andreas Gursky’s 2006 Untitled which fetched €409,500 ($511,619), the highest price for a photography sold at auction in Paris this year.

Following today’s sale, Andrew Strauss*, Vice-president of Sotheby’s France and leading authority on Man Ray, said: “Today’s results pay tribute to Man Ray’s creative genius. The great diversity of his oeuvre attracted international collectors of many horizons who seize this unique opportunity to acquire works coming directly from his estate”.

PAINTINGS
Paintings were highly sought after today. In addition to the top lot, an arresting portrait of Man Ray’s wife Juliet, Purple Mask (1948) brought €115,500 ($158,804), three times the pre-sale estimate (lot 5, est. €30,000-40,000 / $40,600-54,500).

SURREALIST OBJECTS & JEWELLERY
The sale was also highlighted by a group of fascinating Surrealist objects. Testament to Man Ray’s ingenuity and extraordinary provocative sense of humour, the cover lot, Ce que manque à nous tous, featuring a clay pipe with a glass bubble, realised €133,500 ($183,553), over five times the low estimate (lot 99, est. €25,000-35,000 / $33,800-47,300).

Man Ray’s iconic pendants in the form of unravelled lampshades found a buyer for €103,500 ($142,305), again well above pre-sale expectation (lot 185, est. €15,000-20,000 / $20,300-27,100). These earrings were identical to those worn by Catherine Deneuve in Man Ray’s photograph for a cover of The Observer Magazine in 1975. A version of this photograph featured in the sale and achieved €37,500 ($51,560) (lot 184, est. €7,000-10,000 / $9,500-13,600).

Man Ray frequently worked with the Italian jeweller Giancarlo Montebello. In 1972 he designed a prototype for a pair of eyeglasses, “Optic-Topic” which today sold for €67,500 ($92,808), more than 30 times the low estimate (lot 192, est. €2,000-3,000 / $2,750-4,100).

VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPHS
At the core of the sale was also a group of vintage photographs ranging from portraiture and fashion photography, including solarisation and gauze effects, to Surrealist compositions and iconic self-portraits.

From 1930-31, a stunning portrait of Man Ray’s muse and accomplished photographer Lee Miller surpassed the pre-sale expectation and fetched €79,500 ($109,307) (lot 29, est. €40,000-60,000 / $54,500-81,500).

Depicting the lips of Lee Miller, Man Ray's monumental painting, A l'Heure de l'Observatoire – Les Amoureux (Observatory Time – the Lovers, 1932-34) is arguably one the most celebrated images of 20th century art. The sale included a 1934 black-and-white photograph of the work which sold for €51,900 ($71,359) (lot 224, est. €15,000-20,000 / $20,300-27,100).

A 1936 photogram by Max Ernst, made in collaboration with Man Ray to illustrate André Breton’s Château étoilé, realised €37,500 ($51,560), double the pre-sale estimate (lot 132, est. €10,000-15,000 / $13,600-20,300).


* Andrew Strauss is co-author of the catalogue raisonné of the Man Ray’s paintings and leading authority on the artist