MAN RAY Les Mains Libres.

Monod, 4217.

First edition, an exceptional copy, inscribed by Man Ray and countersigned by Paul Éluard to “Gala et Salvador, de tout notre cœur.”

The inscription highlights the close bond between this quartet; Éluard and Man Ray dedicate their most iconic collaboration to Gala and Dalí. The work follows the London International Surrealist Exhibition of 1936, where Paul Éluard, Man Ray, and Salvador Dalí were among the leading representatives of the Surrealist movement on the international scene. Éluard and Ray were among the French representatives, while Dalí was the sole Spanish participant.

The exhibition marks the peak of Surrealism’s visibility before the deep political rifts caused by the Spanish Civil War and the rise of totalitarianism in Europe. Dalí caused a sensation there with his famous lecture in a diving suit, while Éluard and Man Ray actively participated in the organization and representation of the French group. This event reflects a shared space where the three artists interacted and collaborated.

Gala also held a unique place within this circle; she was not merely Éluard’s ex-wife and Dalí’s new partner, but she served as the link between all these figures. In 1936, she was photographed by Man Ray alongside Dalí, as the couple stood next to one of the American artist’s sculptures. She was, of course, both muse and model, but her role within the group was also active. She became a defining figure of Surrealism, a center of gravity around which the movement’s most important relationships coalesced.

Copy of the current print run on laid paper, no. 98.

Les Mains libres represents a Surrealist paradigm in which the image comes before the words. Indeed, it is Éluard’s texts that illustrate Man Ray’s compositions. It is also the culmination of a long process.

It appears that the project was first discussed prior to the International Surrealist Exhibition in June 1936. Upon their return from England, Ray and Éluard met up in Mougins with other artists and began work on the volume. In April 1937, the first 12 poems were published in the Nouvelle Revue française. It was not until 10 November of that same year that the completed work was published by Jeanne Bucher; it then comprised 54 text-image combinations, supplemented by 1 frontispiece, 2 illustrations of Sade accompanied by an explanatory text, 6 portraits executed by Man Ray, and 4 details taken from the works in the volume.

Stains affecting the bottom of the pages in Part One; ink bleed from the engraving onto the poem ‘Les Amis’ (p.170); covers showing signs of creasing and a few stains.

Provenance: Régine and Bernard Loliée (bookplate) – lot 283 from their “Dada-Surréalisme La Chasse” sale on 26 April 2016 (Sotheby’s).