Man Ray.

Emmanuel Radnitzky was born on August 27, 1890 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Manya Lourie and Max Ray. The family relocated to Brooklyn, New York, where he attended Boys and Girls High School and Boys High School. He showed an early interest in art and enrolled at the Art Students League of New York, studying under Robert Henri. There he encountered modernist and avant-garde ideas that shaped his career.

Man Ray played a chess player in Rene Clair’s surrealist film Entr’acte 1924. He also served as assistant director to Marcel Duchamp on a film project. In the late 1920s, he directed his own surrealist shorts, including The Mysteries of the Chateau of Dice 1929. Later experimental works include 8 X 8: a Chess-Sonata in 8 Movements 1957 and Dadascope 1962. His films reflect his central role in Dada and Surrealism.

Man Ray married Juliet Browner, an American dancer and model, on October 24, 1946. They remained together until his death in 1976. Browner was also his artistic collaborator and muse. His parents, Manya Lourie and Max Ray, were Jewish immigrants who moved the family to Brooklyn when he was young. In Paris, he formed a close artistic circle including Marcel Duchamp and Rene Clair.

His photography inspired the music video for Nine Inch Nails’ 1994 song Closer, bringing his work to new audiences. His films remain key examples of Dada and Surrealist cinema. He worked across painting, photography, and film, pushing boundaries in each medium.