Man Ray (1890–1976) was an American-born, Paris-based artist who played a pivotal role in both the Dada and Surrealist movements. Born Emmanuel Radnitzky in Philadelphia to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, he grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where his early exposure to tailoring in his family shaped motifs throughout his career. Renaming himself "Man Ray," he moved to New York’s bohemian circles and closely collaborated with Marcel Duchamp, exploring readymades and experimental art forms before relocating to Paris in 1921. Regarded as a master of avant-garde photography, Man Ray is celebrated for his inventive "rayographs" (camera-less photographs), fashion and portrait photography, and provocative artistic vision that blurred the boundaries between commercial and fine art. While his influence was most pronounced in photography, he also painted, made films, and produced objects and assemblages, considering himself primarily a painter. His work captured the creative spirit and iconic figures of 1920s and 1930s Paris, including models like Kiki of Montparnasse and fellow artists such as Picasso and Dalí. Man Ray's legacy endures as a seminal figure who revolutionized 20th-century art through relentless experimentation and a spirit of irreverent innovation