The prayer

Among Man Ray’s most important photographic works are the Self-Portrait from 1924 and La prière from 1930, both of which dated to his Parisian period and his adhesion to André Breton. Particularly devoted to portraiture, which he dedicated to the prominent figures he was in contact with in that period (including Cocteau, Duchamp, Gris, Hamingway, Tzara) and of self-portraiture, this shot from 1924 represents a particular and symbolic self- representation, underlined by the evident fracture of the plate. The other photograph, reproduced in only 8 copies, belongs to the Prières series; due to the pose of the model and the framing of the image, it offers a highly abstracting and irreverent mise en scène.