Man Ray Original Abstract Painting Gifted to Yousuf Karsh.

Rare original painting by American artist Man Ray from the collection of Armenian-Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh. Matte paint on board, in thick impasto in some places, features abstract amorphous shapes in black, blue, yellow, and orange. Signed and dated by the artist in the lower right corner, "Man Ray 59." From the collection of Yousuf Karsh with his estate label and a letter of provenance. Yousuf Karsh, one of the most celebrated portrait photographers of the twentieth century, was deeply connected to the artistic circles of his time, moving among leading cultural figures in Europe and North America. His relationship with Man Ray was grounded in this shared modernist milieu, where photography, painting, and experimental practices frequently intersected. Karsh photographed Man Ray in Paris on March 29, 1965, portraying him in dark-rimmed glasses and a beret, holding a two-toned mask—an image that emphasized both the constructed nature of identity and Ray’s distinctive artistic persona. Both men were pioneering photographers, though Man Ray, closely associated with the Dada and Surrealist movements in Europe, primarily considered himself a painter, while also developing experimental techniques such as the photogram, or “Rayograph,” and working across film and light-based media. Karsh, over the course of his career, produced an extensive body of portraiture encompassing an estimated 250,000 negatives from approximately 15,000 sittings, photographing a wide range of cultural figures, including artists such as Man Ray. Together with his wife, Estrellita, he assembled a considered and personal art collection shaped by these relationships and shared artistic concerns, including works by artists they admired such as Man Ray, Alexander Calder, and several Inuit artists including Kenojuak Ashevak and Jessie Oonark. The painting is suspended in a floating mount and stored beneath tissue paper in a custom-fitted acid-free museum-quality archival box with an official estate "Karsh Estate Provenance" label on the interior. Accompanied by an Estrellita Karsh Estate Certificate of Authenticity signed by Katherine Gretchell, personal representative of the Estrellita Karsh Estate. 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. In near fine condition. The painting measures 13 inches by 9.5 inches. The archival storage box measures 20.5 inches by 16.75 inches. With a wax paper and painter's tape packet containing approximately 27 paint flakes and chips, pencil-inscribed as: Man Ray loose bits disassociated from object (loose in former box). A rare and desirable example of Ray's abstract work with significant provenance.