Man Ray (1890-1976)

The stamps on the verso of this photograph have been identified as M21 and M23 in Steven Manford’s book, Behind the photo: the stamps of Man Ray (2009). According to Manford, M21 is a lifetime stamp used from 1940 to 1951, this “address stamp appears on nearly all photographs made and printed in the forties” and M23 is a lifetime stamp used from 1940 to 1951 (p. 27).


photographie représente la ballerine Tamara Toumanova (1919-1996) devant la sculpture de La déesse aztèque du maïs qui figure dans la collection de Louise et Walter Arensberg. Man Ray réalisa une série de trois photographies de la danseuse devant cette oeuvre historique.

This photograph represents the ballerina Tamara Toumanova (1919-1996) in front of The Aztec Corn Goddess from the collection of Louise and Walter Arensberg. Man Ray took a series of three images of her in front of this historic stone figure.