Flying Dutchman
Man Ray’s photograph records linens drying in the wind behind his West Eighth Street apartment. With his title, the artist declared the hanging objects to be "sculpture"— in the same way he identified other reimagined everyday things (like Lampshade) around his studio. Later, Man Ray picked up his palette knife to explore the image further. Titled Flying Dutchman, the painting borrows the name of a legendary ghost ship and plays on the optical illusion that made the vessel appear to hover above the sea. The thickly worked surface suggests a space that can be both visually and physically perceived.
Artwork Details
- Title: Flying Dutchman
- Artist: Man Ray (American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1890–1976 Paris)
- Date: 1920
- Medium: Oil on paperboard
- Dimensions: 18-1/2 × 24-1/2 in. (48.3 × 64.8 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Elise and Charlie Brown, 2017
- Object Number: 2017.271
- Rights and Reproduction: © 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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Man Ray (American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1890–1976 Paris)
1937
Man Ray (American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1890–1976 Paris)
1931
Man Ray (American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1890–1976 Paris)
1931
Man Ray (American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1890–1976 Paris)
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Man Ray (American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1890–1976 Paris)
20th century
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