Man Ray United States, 1890-1976
signed and numbered 'Man Ray 45/50' (on the white King); signed, dated and inscribed 'Le Roi est à moi - La Reine est la tienne / La Tour fait un four - Le Fou est comme vous / Le Cavalier déraille - Le Pion fait l'espion. Comme toute canaille. Fait de toutes pièces / Man Ray 1962' (along the edges of the chessboard)
The chessboard is presented on a table designed by the artist in collaboration with Jean-Michel Frank in the 1920s. The frame of the table bears a hand-engraved inscription, while two red velvet–lined chests at either end serve to store the chess pieces.
Like Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray was deeply fascinated by the game of chess. He conceived several designs for chess pieces during the 1920s, eventually realizing this version of the board in 1962. The work is inscribed “Man Ray” and numbered on the white king. Along the perimeter of the board runs a poem in French, composed by Man Ray in 1962 specifically for this edition and inlaid in his facsimile handwriting.
The first study, dating from 1920, was used by Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, and several other key figures of the Dada movement.
Inscription on the chessboard:
“Le Roi est à moi, la Reine est la tienne,
la Tour fait un four,
le Fou est comme vous,
le Cavalier déraille,
le Pion fait l’espion comme toute canaille,
Fait de toutes pièces.”
Translation:
“The King is mine, the Queen is yours,
the Rook makes a mistake,
the Bishop is like you,
the Knight goes off the rails,
the Pawn plays the spy like any scoundrel,
Made from all pieces.”
Provenance
Marion Meyer collection, France.Exhibitions
American Center of Paris (1966)
Salute to Man Ray, American Center, Paris (1967)
Les objets de mon affection, Galerie de l'Europe (1968)
Man Ray, Museum Boymans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (1971) (exhibition catalog)
Travelling to: Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris Louisiana Museum, Humblebaek, Danemark (1971- 1972)
Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, 1972, no. 147, illustration of another example from the edition p. 73
Perpetual Motif: The Art of Man Ray, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C. (1988)
Travelling to: Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles Menil Collection, Houston
Philadelphia Museum of Art (1988-1990)
Duchamp, Man Ray, Picabia. Tate Modern, London (2008)
Travelling to: Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona (2008)
Man Ray: Paintings, Photos & Objects, Maruani & Noirhomme Gallery, Knokke (2012)
Man Ray, Kunstforum Wien, Autriche (2018)
FROM MAN RAY TO MARIEN: An Idea of Surrealism, MARUANI MERCIER, Brussels (2021)
Literature
Man Ray, & Zerbib, M. (1968). Objets de mon affection. Galerie de l’Europe. (another example illustrated)
Museum Boymans-Van Beuningen, Musée National d’Art Moderne, & Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. (1972). Man Ray [Exhibition catalogue]. Museum Boymans-Van Beuningen; Musée National d’Art Moderne; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. (no. 147, p. 73, another example illustrated)
Schwarz, A. (1977). Man Ray: The Rigour of Imagination. Thames & Hudson. (no. 327, p. 217, another example illustrated)
Martin, J.-H., Krauss, R., & Hermann, B. (1983). Man Ray: Objets de mon affection, sculptures et objets, catalogue raisonné. Philippe Sers. (p. 161, another example illustrated)
MARUANI MERCIER. (2021). From Man Ray to Marien: An Idea of Surrealism. MARUANI MERCIER. (n.p., another example illustrated)
List, L. (2025). Permanent Attraction: Man Ray & Chess – Dada & Surrealist Chess Art. München: Hirmer Verlag GmbH.
