MAN RAY (Philadelphia, USA, 1890 - Paris, 1976). "Cadeau, 1921. Iron and nails. Exemplar 1792/5000. Signed, justified and titled. Measurements: 17 x 9.4 x 12 cm. This sculpture, or rather Ready Made, was conceived by Man Ray in 1921, although twenty years later he made it again due to the loss of the original. Legend has it that Man Ray bought the plate on a walk with his friend Erik Satie. Subsequently, he added the fourteen nails and entitled the piece "Gift". A visionary artist, master of experimental photography, painter, filmmaker, poet, essayist, philosopher, and a leader of American modernism, he was renowned for representing the vibrant French cultural scene from his unique point of view. Man Ray began training in drawing with Robert Henri at the Ferrer Center, while at the same time attending Alfred Stieglitz's gallery 291. Influenced by Stieglitz's photographs, his works embraced unusual subject matter in an unabashed manner. His skills in art led him to experiment within the realm of fine art, working in a cubist style, which evolved into an abstract tendency. Ray also experimented with various techniques in the process of photographic execution and development, such as the so-called Sabatier effect, or solarisation, giving a silvery, ghostly effect to the image, as well as rayograms. Man Ray exhibited his art in galleries in New York, London, Paris and other cities. His innovative works can be found in museums all over the world, as well as in private collections, and he is remembered for his artistic ingenuity and originality.