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American surrealist artist Man Ray (above) might just make history again with one of his famous black and white photographs.

Shot in 1924, the late artist modelled a woman into the shape of a violin by overlaying f-holes in just the right spot on her back.

“Le Violon d’Ingres” has always been considered Man Ray’s most famous masterpiece, and an influential piece in the art world.

Now it is poised to fix more fame for becoming the most expensive photograph ever sold at auction.

When it goes up for auction at Christie’s in May, it is expected to fetch between $5 million and $7 million – that’s around R76 million to R106 million.

According to the auction house via CNN, that is currently the highest estimate for a single photograph in auction history:

Image: Alamy

If the auction goes as planned, the sale will surpass the current record held by Andreas Gursky’s Rhine II, which Christie’s sold in 2011 for a cool $4,3 million (around R65 million):

Image: Tate Modern / © Courtesy Monika Sprueth Galerie, Koeln / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn and DACS, London 2022

Born as Emmanuel Radnitzky, Ray lived from 1890 to 1976 and made quite the impression in the Dada and Surrealism movements with his striking images of mostly women in strange poses with interesting overlays.

“Le Violon d’Ingres” began with a unique and hand-manipulated darkroom process and became “one of the most iconic works of the 20th century,” according to the international head of photographs at Christie’s, Darius Himes:

“The reach and influence of the image, at once romantic, mysterious, roguish, and playful, has captured the minds of all for nearly 100 years. As a photographic work, it is unprecedented in the marketplace.”

Rosalind Gersten Jacobs and Melvin Jacobs, retail executives and art collectors who were well connected in the Surrealist circles, managed to get their hands on “Le Violon d’Ingres” from Ray back in 1962.

When the New York couple died, they left their massive art collection – including artworks, photographs, jewellery, and posters – to their daughter, who is now selling some of the pieces in the auction.

A piece called Mars by Vija Celmins, a Latvian American visual artist best known for photo-realistic paintings and drawings of natural environments and phenomena, is also a part of the extensive collection going under the hammer.

It’s expected to fetch upwards of $1,8 million.

[source:cnn]