MAN RAY | Emak Bakia

Estate of the Artist
Juliet Man Ray (by descent from the above; sale: Sotheby's, London, Property from The Man Ray Trust, 22nd March 1995, lot 20)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Bordeaux, Galerie des Beaux-Arts, Le Surréalisme, 1971, no. 153, illustrated in the catalogue 

Janus, Man Ray, Milan, 1973, no. 30, illustration of another cast p. 87
Roland Penrose, Man Ray, London, 1975, no. 68, original object illustrated p. 113
Arturo Schwarz, Man Ray, The Rigour of Imagination, London, 1977, no. 254, original object illustrated p. 146
Jean Hubert Martin, Brigitte Hermann & Rosalind Krauss (eds.), Man Ray, Objets de mon affection, Sculptures et Objets, Catalogue raisonné, Paris, 1983, no. 38, original object illustrated n.p.
Man Ray (exhibition catalogue), Galerie der Stadt, Stuttgart, 1998, illustration of another cast p. 87

Peg box and neck of a cello rendered in silver with a horsehair mane. All the elements are intact and appear stable and secure. There are some small nicks and handling marks to the base, consistent with age. This work is in overall very good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In 1926, Man Ray found the broken neck of an old cello in a fleamarket in Paris. Schwarz summarised how the present model came to be: 'The cello-neck looked worn and weathered and Man Ray felt the urge to point humorously to its age; since it had grown old, he gave it a long white beard' (Schwarz, op cit, p. 155). Thus the original work consisted of a wooden cello neck with long silvery horse hair where the strings should be; Man Ray made another version in wood in 1970 (now in the collection of Tate Modern, London) alongside the edition cast in silver, of which the present work is one example. The work's title bears the same name as an avant-garde film that Man Ray made in 1925-26, fusing elements of Dada and Surrealisim, and which featured the original object. 'Emak Bakia' was the name of the villa in which the film was shot and translates from Basque as 'Leave me alone'.