Man Ray, Gift

Man Ray

American · 1890–1976 · Painter, Printmaker

Man Ray was an American-born, French-naturalized visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements,… (Wikipedia)

Own a work by Man Ray? Get a free auction estimate →

650lots offered2001–2026years recorded86%sold (479)$2.3kSign up free to seemedian price

3 works by Man Ray with an auction history (offered more than once) →

6 works by Man Ray coming up at auction · bid with the house ↓

Record prices

  1. Man Ray, Reclining Nude with Satin Sheet, 1935, Gelatin silver printReclining Nude with Satin SheetPhillips · $329,000≈ £222,854≈ €305,904Sign up to see
  2. Man Ray, Rayograph, 1922, Unique gelatin silver printRayographPhillips · $300,000≈ £226,655≈ €255,254Sign up to see
  3. Man Ray, Silent Harp, 1943, violin neck, horsehair, varnished phonographic record, wooden ball and wooden lattice, mounted on boardSilent HarpPhillips · $187,050≈ £142,939≈ €162,370Sign up to see

Man Ray’s highest prices recorded at auction, ranked in US dollars at each sale-date exchange rate and shown in the currency of the sale (with the buyer’s premium where the house publishes it).

Coming up at auction

6 in forthcoming sales · bid with the house

Listed from the auction houses’ own websites; estimates are the houses’ own, not results.

All filters
Longest side–Reset

560 results · page 11 of 14

Sign up free to see all prices. You’ve seen the free realized prices for this month. Artist, title, date, house, medium, size and estimates stay visible to everyone. Create a free account · Sign in
  1. Man Ray, Effacement, Gouache and India ink on printed paper, glued on card by the artist
    Effacement
    Gouache · Board
    9.8 x 14.1 cm
    Lempertz · · Lot 808
    €15,860≈ $20,521≈ £13,570Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €4,000–6,000View at Lempertz ↗
  2. Man Ray, Composition avec l'Oeuf, Posthumous gelatin silver print, printed 1986 by Pierre Gassmann
    Composition avec l'Oeuf
    Photograph
    28.7 x 19.9 cm
    Lempertz · · Lot 46
    €1,830≈ $2,368≈ £1,568Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €2,000–2,500View at Lempertz ↗
  3. Man Ray, Space Writing, Posthumous gelatin silver print, printed 1988 by Pierre Gassmann
    Space Writing
    Photograph
    30.2 x 21.9 cm
    Lempertz · · Lot 47
    €1,830≈ $2,368≈ £1,568Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €2,000–2,500View at Lempertz ↗
  4. Man Ray, Untitled, 1945, Graphite on paper
    Untitled, 1945
    Drawing · Paper
    Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · · Lot 50
    $12,000≈ £7,895≈ €9,336Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $12,000–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
  5. Man Ray, Perpetual Motiv, 1972, Silkscreen in colors
    Perpetual Motiv, 1972
    Screenprint · Other support · ed. edition of 100
    51,1 x 28,5 cm (20,1 x 11,2 in)
    Ketterer Kunst · · Lot 57
    €1,625≈ $2,131≈ £1,388Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €900–View at Ketterer Kunst ↗
  6. Man Ray, Countess Celani at the Bal Blanc, 1930, Gelatin silver print
    Countess Celani at the Bal Blanc, 1930
    Photograph
    8 7/8 x 5 3/8 in. (22.5 x 13.7 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 175
    $31,250≈ £20,668≈ €24,361Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $25,000–35,000View at Phillips ↗
  7. Man Ray, Max Ernst, 1938, Gelatin silver print
    Max Ernst, 1938
    Photograph
    9 x 6 7/8 in. (22.9 x 17.5 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 8
    $122,500≈ £80,799≈ €95,405Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $50,000–70,000View at Phillips ↗
  8. Man Ray, Chess Set, 1971, Chess set comprising thirty two pieces in precious metal,
    Chess Set, 1971
    Chess set comprising thirty two pieces in precious metal, · ed. 3/4
    20.7 x 30.6 x 4.5 cm (8 1/8 x 12 x 1 3/4 in)
    Phillips · · Lot 3
    £18,750≈ $28,421≈ €21,701Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £12,000–18,000View at Phillips ↗
  9. Man Ray, L'Origine de L' Espace, Color lithograph
    L'Origine de L' Espace
    Lithograph · ed. 83/180
    16.8 in. x 12.5 in
    Sloans & Kenyon · · Lot 102
    $325≈ £205≈ €241HammerSign up free to seeEst. $400–500View at Sloans & Kenyon ↗
  10. Man Ray, Motif perpétuel, 1923, Multiple
    Motif perpétuel, 1923
    Multiple · ed. edition of 40
    Ketterer Kunst · · Lot 85
    €20,000≈ $25,810≈ £16,122Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €16,000–View at Ketterer Kunst ↗
Also offered, result not published (91)

Lots by Man Ray that were offered at auction where the house did not publish whether they sold. Not counted in any statistics.

Man Ray paintings (15)Man Ray acrylic paintings (5)Man Ray mixed media (5)Man Ray works on paper (32)Man Ray watercolors (4)Man Ray drawings (18)Man Ray prints (204)Man Ray etchings (48)Man Ray engravings (3)Man Ray aquatints (8)Man Ray lithographs (72)Man Ray screenprints (23)Man Ray multiples (14)Man Ray photographs (158)Man Ray sculpture (44)

Man Ray signature

165 catalogued lots by Man Ray record a signature line. The most common placement is lower right (45% of lots that state a placement). Most often: signed.

Placement

  • lower right15
  • in the margin5
  • in the plate4
  • on the reverse3
  • lower left3
  • on the base2

Form

  • signed106
  • signed in pencil18
  • signed and dated16
  • monogrammed14
  • initialled11
  • Signed, titled and dated "man Ray 1943 “Silent Harp”" on the reverse — Silent Harp, Phillips, Nov 21, 2025
  • Signed and dated 'Man Ray 52' lower left — Composition, Phillips, Jun 27, 2024
  • Edition: 13/30; signed lower right: Man Ray; numbered lower left: XIII/XXX; inscribed verso: Portrait imaginaire [illeg.] de Sade — Marquis de Sade 1970, Menzies, Aug 30, 2023

Man Ray signature: all forms and examples →

About Man Ray

Man Ray was an American-born, French-naturalized visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each were informal. He produced major works in a variety of media but considered himself a painter above all. He was a photography innovator as well as a fashion and portrait photographer, and is noted for his work with photograms, which he called "rayographs" in reference to himself.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

In museum collections

  • Man Ray, Landscape (Paysage Fauve)Landscape (Paysage Fauve), 1913
    Smithsonian American Art Museum · Public domain
  • Man Ray, Man Ray 1914Man Ray 1914, 1914
    National Galleries Scotland · Public domain

Biography and museum images →

Related artists — American, born 1865–1915

More American artists of the same period