Man Ray painting is natural choice

A newly discovered painting by a leading American artist Man Ray (1890-1976) is coming up for auction this month.

Man Ray (1890-1976) is an important American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He is a leading exponent in the Dada and Surrealist Movements. While he is perhaps more well known for his work in photography, the artist considered himself a painter above anything else.

Between the wars, he became a significant photographer with leading artists of the day such as Picasso, Dali, and Cocteau posing for his camera. Returning to the USA during WWII, he returned to Paris in the 1950s to continue his creativity across various mediums.

It was at this time he began to experiment with a new series of experimental paintings known as ‘Natural’ paintings. These involved squeezing the paint directly from the tube in a random manner onto a visual surface. These paintings followed his surrealist principles of painting without constraints and he continued to experiment with these until 1971.

The recently discovered work in a Worcestershire property is an example of one of his ‘Natural’ paintings. Boasting an excellent provenance, it was gifted by the artist to his favourite free-spirited model Jacqueline Goddard, nee Barsotti (1911-2003), the current vendor’s grandmother.

Measuring a modest 31 by 22cm, the work bears his signature and comes in a brightly coloured frame typically associated with these works.

Estimated at £7,000-10,000 the ‘Natural’ painting appears in Cotswold-based Auctioneers Kinghams’ Fine Art auction on October 3. The highest price achieved at auction for a Man Ray ‘Natural’ painting is £37,000 in 2021.