Extremely rare collection of Man Ray contact prints on view at Atlas Gallery in London

LONDON.- An extremely rare collection of Man Ray contact prints from a private collection is on display at ATLAS Gallery, including some of the artist’s most celebrated images alongside rarely seen portraits of Hemingway, Picasso, Braque and James Joyce.

Scheduled in tandem with the Man Ray retrospective at the National Portrait Gallery, this extensive collection of approximately 150 prints gives an unedited view of the Man Ray archive. Many prints are printed full frame, showing untouched versions of more recognisable works, giving a wonderfully raw insight into the work of the 20th Century’s most celebrated Surrealist photographer. ATLAS Gallery is displaying a selection of 45 works of varying sizes, chosen to represent the best of the collection.

Les Baisers, 1930 by Man Ray

The collection is one of a number of sets of contact prints known to exist, created as a reference for Man Ray’s work during his lifetime. This collection was acquired by a European collector in 2002 from the previous owner, who purchased the set directly from Man Ray’s dark-room printer Pierre Gassman. One other set is in the possession of the Pompidou Centre. Gassman was a celebrated figure in the history of world photography – he printed for and collaborated with some of the great names of the medium in the 20th Century, including Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank and Brassai.

ATLAS Gallery owner Ben Burdett says: ‘This collection of dark-room reference prints offers a unique insight into the work of Man Ray, showing the full extent of the artist’s vision, both in the full frame format of the prints and in the breadth of the selection of images itself, from almost obscure portraits to some of the most recognizable images of the 20th Century.’

The exhibition runs from 21st February – 30th March.