Le Violon d'Ingres, 1924 by Man Ray of Kiki de Montparnasse is undeniably one of the most iconic works of the 20th century.
In 1924, Alice Prin (better known as Kiki de Montparnasse), dressed only in a turban, earrings and a scarf loosely wrapped around her hips, was photographed in her partner's studio. The artist behind the camera was Man Ray, and the model was a star of the Parisian art scene and had already inspired many artists.
The motif itself was reminiscent of the paintings of Orientalist beauties painted by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres in the 19th century. Kiki's body shape, which Man Ray found absolutely flawless and reminded him of an instrument, inspired him to add cello sound holes to her back, giving his work a desired surrealist effect.
The relationship between Kiki and Man Ray lasted until 1926, but the American artist never parted with the original photo of Le Violon d'Ingres, which has been reproduced countless times to this day, until 1962, when he gave it to Rosalind Gersten Jacobs and Melvin Jacobs. Rosalind Gersten first came into contact with Surrealism in 1954, and she became the friend and patron of many of its representatives, including Marcel Duchamp, René Magritte, and William N. Copley and his wife Noma. Together with her husband Melvin, Rosalind built up a magnificent Surrealist art collection, which will now go under the hammer at Christie's New York's in May, with Man Ray's famous photograph as the centerpiece.
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"The Rosalind Gersten Jacobs & Melvin Jacobs Collection is extraordinary and built through intimate relationships with the artists in their circle," said Darius Himes, Christie’s International Head of Photographs. "Le Violon d’Ingres, 1924 by Man Ray of Kiki de Montparnasse is inarguably one of the most iconic works of the 20th century. [...] 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."
Man Ray's Le Violon d'Ingres is being offered by Christie's at an estimate of $5-7 million, the highest estimate ever offered for a single photograph at auction. If a price in this realm is realized, Man Ray could not only break his own auction photography record, set in 2017 with Noire et Blanche from 1926 (also featuring Kiki de Montparnasse), but also become the current most expensive photographer in auction history ousting Andreas Gursky from the throne.
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