Man Ray (1966 LACMA Exhibition Catalog – Surrealism, Dada, Los Angeles)

Description

In 1966, Man Ray was in his final creative decade—an elder statesman of Dada and Surrealism, but still a restless innovator. Having returned to Paris in 1951 after a decade in Los Angeles, he remained a key figure in the post-war avant-garde. The world had caught up to him, finally ready to embrace what he’d been doing since the 1920s: collapsing the boundaries between photography, painting, sculpture, film, and object-making. In the ‘60s, while many artists were turning to Pop and Minimalism, Man Ray’s work from decades earlier suddenly felt newly relevant—his ironic, cerebral, and seductive imagery echoing loudly in the visual language of the era.

This catalog accompanied a landmark retrospective organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s Lytton Gallery in 1966, under the direction of Jules Langsner and the Museum’s Contemporary Art Council. The show brought Man Ray full circle—back to L.A., where he had briefly taken refuge during World War II—and presented his protean genius to a new generation. The catalog includes contributions from Langsner and others, reproductions of major works (including The Rope Dancer and Blue Bread), as well as autobiographical and critical texts by Man Ray and his contemporaries. Printed in oversized square format with striking full-bleed illustrations and bold typographic choices, it remains a visually compelling record of the artist’s midcentury status.

This 1966 LACMA catalog captures Man Ray in full command of his legacy, reframing Dada for a new American audience on the brink of counterculture. Whether you’re collecting Surrealist publications, tracking Man Ray’s underappreciated Los Angeles years, or just want a stunning visual document from a pivotal museum show—this one delivers.