Man Ray

American-French visual artist (1890-1976) who pioneered avant-garde photography through the Dada and Surrealist movements. Invented the Rayograph technique of placing objects directly on photosensitive paper, and perfected the solarization technique with his assistant Lee Miller. His experimental approach bridged fine art and photography decades before it became mainstream. His Rayographs are cheaper than the typical darkroom print, costing only $5 in materials per image, and they influenced more than 20% of modern experimental photographers.