This September 2025, Palazzo Reale will host a retrospective exhibition featuring the life and career of Man Ray, showcasing his iconic works that have become integral to the history of modern art.

MAN RAY
Forme di luce

The exhibition will provide a journey through Man Ray’s life, from his birth in Philadelphia in 1890 to his move to New York where he discovered European avant-garde art and befriended Marcel Duchamp. It will then lead to his arrival in Paris in 1921, where he was welcomed by poets André Breton, Louis Aragon, and Paul Éluard, and where he met his beloved muse and model, Kiki de Montparnasse. This meeting resulted in immortal photographs such as Noire et blanche and Le Violon d’Ingres.

Later on, Man Ray delved into the world of fashion and became renowned for his “rayographs” and “solarizations.” After returning to the United States in 1940, he went back to Paris in 1951, where he remained until his death in 1976.

Through a thematic journey highlighting his self-portraits, muses, nudes, rayographs, solarizations, and fashion work, this exhibition aims to rediscover the unique and pioneering artist that was Man Ray.

This exhibition is a joint effort by the City of Milan, Palazzo Reale, and Silvana Editoriale. Curated by Pierre-Yves Butzbach and Robert Rocca, it promises to give visitors an insight into the extraordinary life and art of Man Ray.

Learn More:
Venue: palazzorealemilano.it/en/mostre/forme-di-luce
News from Italy: milanostyle.com/category/news/
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