RAY Man - Ses photos de Juan Gris retrouvées - 1957.

Man RAY (1890.1976)

Lettre signée « Man » à son cher Jim.

Une page ¼ in-4° en anglais, sur papier fin. Paris. 16 novembre 1957.

Très intéressante lettre de Man Ray, évoquant son travail photographique et pictural.

Evoquant également Gertrude Stein et un vieux cliché du peintre Juan Gris qu’il avait réalisé en 1922.

« After going through my old files, I found this photograph of Juan Gris (1922). It was Gertrude Stein who had brought him around me, and as far as I can remember this was the only pose I kept. I have never sold the exclusive rights to anyone ; in fact, at that time no editor would have paid even ordinary rates for one insertion ! During the war, while in California, I helped prepare a catalogue of three painters, and I think this of Gris was used for the San Francisco museum. Any other uses were without my authorization. It seems silly to ask a reproduction fee, when so much is being paid for the catalogue and its twenty color plates ! You are welcome to it. Before 1920 I could have bought a Gris from the Quinn collection for ten dollars. Even I have done better with my paintings in my lifetime. But you can do me a favor. I should like to see the Baur book, New Art in America. Can you get me a copy ? The editor has invited me to buy a copy at 33% reduction. I’ve seen a write-up from a west coast paper, by Frankenstein, a critic who sneered at me when I had a show at the Santa Barbara museum around 1942. Or was it the Golden Gate museum ? My studio is full of new and old works, and I am one of the few americans who seems to get any attention in Europe. I haven’t given up photography, in fact I am also hard at work perfecting my own color process. Show it to you sometime. I may come over to the states this year or early next, as I must get my things together that I left there.
My sister having just died, and she had been taking care of all I left there. With best regards. »