Man Ray and Fashion

From 22 April through 13 August 2023, MoMu – Fashion Museum Antwerp will be highlighting the oeuvre of Man Ray from the perspective of fashion. The exhibition includes photographs he took for prominent couturiers, such as Paul Poiret, Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel, as well as for important fashion magazines, including Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Vogue. As an innovator in his field Man Ray employed technical ingenuity and humour to ultimately change the way fashion is depicted.

Man Ray, Tête de femme vue en plongée, 1930/1979, private collection, Courtesy Fondazione Marconi, Milan © Man Ray 2015 Trust / Sabam Belgium 2023Man Ray, Tête de femme vue en plongée, 1930/1979, private collection, Courtesy Fondazione Marconi, Milan © Man Ray 2015 Trust / Sabam Belgium 2023

His experimental procedures and surrealist winks of the eye brought art and fashion closer together and still influence fashion photography today. Contemporary fashion designers continue to find inspiration in his work, and this is especially true of Belgian fashion designers, with their predilection for Surrealism.

Man Ray and Fashion is an exhibition that unites Man Ray’s iconic photography and works of art with interbellum fashion silhouettes and the work of contemporary fashion designers and photographers inspired by his work. Among others, the exhibition includes creations by Chanel, Maison Lanvin, Madeleine Vionnet, Norine, Yves Saint Laurent, Martin Margiela, Olivier Theyskens, LOEWE and Dries Van Noten. ​ 

The exhibition is co-organised by MoMu and the Réunion des Musées Nationaux – Grand Palais, in partnership with the City of Marseille Museums. The fashion photography of Man Ray was previously presented at the Musée Cantini and Chateau Borély, Marseille, in November 2019 to March 2020, then at Musée du Luxembourg, Paris, in September 2020 to January 2021. In Man Ray and Fashion, MoMu places these photographs alongside contemporary fashion pieces by esteemed designers that were inspired by Man Ray’s works. In curating an exhibition where the art and fashion are presented side by side, MoMu further links the esteemed artist with Belgian and contemporary fashion. 

Curator MoMu: Romy Cockx
​Guest curators: Claude Miglietti, Catherine Örmen, Alain Sayag ​
​Exhibition design: Ania Martchenko
​Graphic design: Jelle Jespers

PRACTICAL
​Man Ray and Fashion
​from 22/04/2023 until 13/08/2023
​at MoMu - Fashion Museum Antwerp
​More info momu.be