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Art

Man Ray: When Objects Dream Now At The Met

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Installation view of Man Ray: When Objects Dream, on view September 14,2025–February 1, 2026at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Anna-Marie Kellen, Courtesy of our friends at The Met.

American artist Man Ray (1890–1976) was a visionary known for his radical experiments that pushed the limits of photography, painting, sculpture, and film. In the winter of 1921, he pioneered the rayograph, a new twist on a technique used to make photographs without a camera. By placing objects on or near a sheet of light-sensitive paper, which he exposed to light and developed, Man Ray turned recognizable subjects into wonderfully mysterious compositions.

By itself. 1918. Man Ray (American, 1890–1976)By Itself I1918Wood,iron, and cork17 1/4 × 7 11/16 × 7 5/16 in. (43.8 × 19.5 × 18.6 cm)LWL–Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Münster, Germany© Man Ray 2015 Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY /ADAGP, Paris 2025

Introduced in the period between Dada and Surrealism, the rayographs’ transformative, magical qualities led the poet Tristan Tzara to describe them as capturing the moments “when objects dream.”

Boardwalk. 1917. Man Ray (American, 1890–1976) Boardwalk1917Oil, wood handles, and yarn on wood 26 9/16 × 29 × 15/16 in. (67.4 × 73.6 × 2.4 cm)Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, acquired 1973 with Lotto Funds© Man Ray 2015 Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY /ADAGP, Paris 2025

Location of the exhibition and floorplan

The exhibition will be the first to situate this signature accomplishment in relation to Man Ray’s larger body of work of the 1910s and 1920s. Drawing from the collections of The Met and more than 50 U.S. and international lenders, the exhibition will feature approximately 60 rayographs and 100 paintings, objects, prints, drawings, films, and photographs—including some of the artist’s most iconic works—to highlight the central role of the rayograph in Man Ray’s boundary-breaking practice.

Rayograph. 1923-1928 Man Ray (American, 1890–1976)Rayograph1923–28Gelatin silver print19 5/16 x 15 11/16 in. (49 x 39.8 cm)The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gilman Collection,Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, throughJoyce and Robert Menschel, 2005 (2005.100.140)Image © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, photo by MarkMorosse© Man Ray 2015 Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY /ADAGP, Paris 2025

“Before my eyes an image began to form, not quite a simple silhouette of the objects as in a straight photograph, but distorted and refracted … In the morning I examined the results, pinning a couple of the Rayographs—as I decided to call them—on the wall. They looked startlingly new and mysterious.” — Man Ray

September 14, 2025–February 1, 2026Upcoming at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 199 Free with Museum admission Accessibility information 

Le violon d’Ingres 1924. Man Ray (American, 1890–1976)Le violon d’Ingres1924Gelatin silver print19 1/8 × 14 3/4 in. (48.5 × 37.5 cm)The Metropolitan Museum ofArt, New York, Bluff Collection,Promised Gift of John A. PritzkerPhoto by Ian Reeves© Man Ray 2015 Trust /Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY /ADAGP, Paris 2025

The exhibition is made possible by the Barrie A. and Deedee Wigmore Foundation.

Major funding is provided by Linda Macklowe, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Daniel and Estrellita Brodsky Foundation, The International Council of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Andrea Krantz and Harvey Sawikin, and Schiaparelli.

Additional support is provided by the Vanguard Council.

Swedish Landscape. 1926. Man Ray (American, 1890–1976)Paysage suédois(Swedish Landscape)1926Oil on canvas18 × 25 1/2 in. (45.7 × 64.8 cm)The Mayor Gallery, London Photo courtesy of The Mayor Gallery, London© Man Ray 2015 Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY /ADAGP, Paris 2025

Related programs are a part of the Bluff Collaborative for Research on Dada and Surrealism at The Met.

The catalogue is made possible by the Mellon Foundation.

Additional support is provided by James Park, the Carol Shuster-Polakoff Family Foundation, and Sharon Wee and Tracy Fu.

Exhibition Catalog

Man Ray: When Objects Dream

This volume is the first in-depth study of Man Ray’s groundbreaking rayographs of the 1920s and their interconnections with his Dada and Surrealist works.

Buy now

Book cover titled "When Objects Dream" by Man Ray. Features a black and white surrealist image of a hand holding a sphere, conveying mystery and intrigue.

For the Silo, Jarrod Barker.

Art

Gibbes Museum Of Art Gifted Half A Million Dollars Via Brinkman Family

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The Gibbes Museum of Art, a beacon in the American South since its establishment in 1858, announces the gift of $500,000 usd/ $700,550 cad from Christina Brinkman and Robert Brinkman in honor of one of the Museum’s headline exhibition spaces.


The Christina and Robert Brinkman Gallery encompasses 1,600 square feet, and hosts a variety of exhibitions presented throughout the year ‒ including the national traveling shows the Museum brings to Charleston, and the award-winning original exhibitions created by the Gibbes’ curatorial team. This gift will help fund ongoing renovations, future enhancements, and improvements to the Museum.

Pictured above: Christina & Robert Brinkman with Angela Mack (the President & CEO of the Gibbes Museum)

“The Gibbes Museum of Art is honored by this generous gift from Christina and Robert Brinkman,” says Angela Mack, the Museum’s President and CEO. “The Brinkmans have adopted Charleston as their home, and demonstrated their incredible passion for the visual arts by choosing to celebrate the work of our Museum. Their generosity reflects a personal commitment to impacting the arts in our community,” adds Mack. 

“From the moment we moved to Charleston, we were immediately drawn to the Gibbes Museum,” says Robert Brinkman. “The visual arts are always a special priority for us, and the Gibbes Museum engages with
art lovers in a meaningful way that makes a difference.” 

“We hope that others will join our family in championing the Gibbes Museum,” says Christina Brinkman. “We love the work this museum team is doing, which allows so many people to make personal connections with art.” 

Pictured above and below: the Christina and Robert Brinkman Gallery at the Gibbes Museum of Art

The Brinkmans are collectors of contemporary art, and are originally from Rochester, New York. They made Charleston their home three years ago. Christina serves on the Gibbes Museum’s Collections Committee. Prior to his retirement, Robert Brinkman was the Chairman of Brinkman International Group, which specializes in precision machining and machine tool building.

Waterline, finger lakes- Porcelain. C. Brinkman

Christina Brinkman is a celebrated artist currently known for her ceramics, porcelain and metal work. She has worked as an artist all her life, and has artist studios in Charleston and Rochester. Her art is featured in museum collections, and in private and corporate collections. View Christina Brinkman’s works at christinabrinkman.com and on her artist page on Instagram. 

About the Gibbes Museum of Art 


The Gibbes Museum of Art, a beacon in the American South for arts and culture since 1858 when the Museum’s art collection was founded as the Carolina Art Association, is heralded as one of the earliest and most longstanding arts institutions in the United States. The Museum’s collection spans 350 years, and features some of the country’s most celebrated artists ‒ including contemporary, modern and historical works. With world-class rotating exhibitions and a dynamic visiting artist residency program, the Gibbes is a southern museum with a global perspective. The Museum’s mission is to enhance lives through art by engaging people of every background and experience with art and artists of enduring quality, providing opportunities to learn and discover, to enjoy and be inspired by the creative process. 


Museum hours and visitor info at: www.gibbesmuseum.org/visit