American Art Collaborative

Man Ray made many works from objects that he had picked up by chance, arranging the items in a thought-provoking way. Fisherman’s Idol is a bronze casting of a wood and cork assemblage that was first exhibited in 1926. The bronze gives the piece a permanence that the original materials could not offer. The tall figure evokes a primitive sculpture of a mythical god or a talisman carried by sailors to protect them from the dangers of the sea
“These objects are a mystery to [me] as much as they might be to others and [I] hope that they will always remain so. That is their justification, if any is needed.” Man Ray, Exhibition Catalogue, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 196