Life Saver
American Art

Life Saver
Artwork Details
Artist/Maker
Man Ray
American, 1890–1976
American, 1890–1976
Date
1944
Medium
Cork, wood, metal, rubber, and candy
Accession #
1985.118
Dimensions
15 x 9 x 3 1/2 inches
Location
On View - Stent Family Wing, Level 3, Gallery 301
Description
Life Saver is the quintessential Surrealist object by artist Man Ray, who furthered Marcel Duchamp’s concept of the readymade by infusing his found objects with psychological potential. With its two upright forms, central body, and candy “eye,” Life Saver suggests a hybrid human form standing like a totemic sentinel over the dream world. Man Ray’s experimental work in photography—including solarizations, double exposures, and photograms (or “rayographs”)—was also highly influential among the Surrealists.
Credit
Purchase with Fay and Barrett Howell FundImage Copyright
(c) 2019 Man Ray Trust/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris