Lot 152

Man Ray Signed "Legend" A.P. Pochoir Gifted After 1965 Photo Shoot! "For the Karshes - forty years before" - Ex. Karsh Estate

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Man Ray Signed "Legend" A.P. Pochoir Gifted After 1965 Photo Shoot! "For the Karshes - forty years before" - Ex. Karsh Estate

Estimate: $1,500 - $2,000

Current Bid: $550

(2 Bids)

by University Archives
July 28, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Live Auction
88 Danbury Road
Suite 2A
Wilton, CT, US 06897

Man Ray
Paris, France, 1926/ca. 1965-1966
Man Ray Signed "Legend" A.P. Pochoir Gifted After 1965 Photo Shoot! "For the Karshes - forty years before" - Ex. Karsh Estate
Signed artwork

An artist's proof pochoir by American artist Man Ray (1890-1976), "Revolving Doors: V. Legend" (1926), retained in the personal collection of Armenian-Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002). 1926/ca. 1965-1966. Paris, France. The color pochoir on wove paper features multiple colors: red, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, and black. It is pencil-signed, inscribed, and dated by Ray along the bottom edge as: "Epreuve d'artiste - Man Ray - 1926 - Paris - pour les Karshes - quarante ans avant - Legend." The French part of the dedicatory inscription - which translates to "for the Karshes - forty years before" - suggests that Ray added it in ca. 1965/66 to an artwork created in 1926. The pochoir was almost certainly gifted to the Karshes following Karsh's 1965 Ray photo shoot. Expected surface wear like even toning, scattered foxing, and minor flyspecking. A wrinkled, slightly abraded lower left corner. Gentle curling to the top and bottom which can be easily rectified by framing. 14.875" x 22.125". Bearing an official estate label of provenance on the verso, easily removable if desired, and accompanied by an Estrellita Karsh Estate Certificate of Authenticity.

This Man Ray signed print is more desirable than all others, because it was kept in the personal collection of Karsh and later by his wife. Ex. Karsh Estate. A full set of ten prints from this series sold at Christie's in 2023 for $63,000, or $6,300 each!

Man Ray published his "Revolving Doors" portfolio with a limited edition print run of 105 copies (Paris, Éditions Surréalistes, 1926). "Revolving Doors" was Ray's attempt at redemption; several years earlier, in 1919, Ray had exhibited a collection of colorful spinning collages made in 1916-1917 at the Daniel Gallery in New York City. The collages were framed and displayed in a rotating stand, resulting in mesmerizing optical effects. Despite the novelty of both the subject and the artwork's installation, Ray's 1919 exhibit was not a success. With the 1926 "Revolving Doors" portfolio, Ray resurrected the project.

The 1926 "Revolving Doors" portfolio contained a total of 10 pochoirs, of which our example is #5. In order: #1 "Mime"; #2 "Long Distance"; #3 "Orchestra"; #4 "The Meeting"; #5 "Legend"; #6 "Decanter"; #7 "Jeune Fille"; #8 "Shadows"; #9 "Concrete Mixer"; and #10 "Dragonfly." Our example is truly a museum-quality piece; examples of prints from Man Ray's 1926 "Revolving Doors" portfolio can be seen in museum collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art; the Museum of Modern Art; the National Gallery of Art; and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Karsh photographed Man Ray in Paris, France on March 29, 1965, showing the eccentric Ray dressed in thick, dark-rimmed glasses and a black beret holding a two-toned face mask in one hand. The photo shoot is listed on Karsh.org (Sitting #12510). This artist's proof pochoir of Ray's "Legend" appears to have been a thank-you gift from Ray to Karsh.

Karsh and Ray were both photographers. Man Ray had become one of the leading artists of the Dada and Surrealist artistic movements in Europe. Although Ray primarily considered himself a painter - as evidenced by this artwork, for instance - he also pioneered a type of photography known as the photogram, or "Rayograph." Ray also experimented with light painting and directed avant-garde films in the 1920s.

A prolific portrait photographer, Karsh took an estimated 250,000 negatives of subjects over the course of 15,000 sittings over seven decades. Karsh photographed actors, writers, composers, military leaders, politicians, and artists, like Ray.

Karsh Estate Provenance: Held by the Estate of Yousuf & Estrellita Karsh; after Yousuf's death in 2002 passing to Estrellita Karsh; after Estrellita's death in March 2025 passing to Katherine Getchell, Co-Executor, Estrellita Karsh Estate and Personal Representative of Estrellita Karsh.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 14.875" x 22.125"
  • Medium: Signed artwork

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000