Histoire naturelle
A painter, sculptor, and photographer, Man Ray was associated with the Surrealists in Paris throughout the 1920s and 1930s. In keeping with the movement’s desire to defamiliarize the everyday through found objects, he has transformed this petrified sea horse— once moist and supple—from small to monumental, active to static, and harmless to monstrous.
Artwork Details
- Title: Histoire naturelle
- Artist: Man Ray (American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1890–1976 Paris)
- Date: 1930
- Medium: Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions: 29.7 x 23.2 cm (11 11/16 x 9 1/8 in.)
- Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Ford Motor Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John C. Waddell, 1987
- Object Number: 1987.1100.121
- Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.