The exhibition, Man Ray, Picabia et la revue Littérature, 1922 – 1924 focuses on Littérature, a surrealist magazine edited by three French writers – André Breton, Philippe Soupault and Louis Aragon. The first issue was published on March 19, 1919. After two years, Breton stopped producing the journal, and in Marche 1922, he decided to relaunch the magazine with the cover by Man Ray and the title, “Littérature: New Series”. Breton was now the sole editor after Aragon and Soupault left the publication. Breton changed the direction of the magazine and replaced the cover image created by Man Ray with drawing – different for each issue – by Francis Picabia, who had complete artistic freedom from every edition.
In 1923, due to low sales, Breton limited the publication to special issues, the first of which appeared on October 15, 1923. However, there was only one more issue, in June 1924, before publication ceased altogether.
As the exhibition title suggests, it features 26 covers of Littérature from 1922 to 1924, designed by French avant-garde painter, Francis Picabia and photographer Man Ray. Man Ray moved to Paris in 1921 and he joined the team at Littérature, where many of his iconic images were first featured. Previously only printed versions of the journal were known to exist. However in 2008, Francis Picabia’s original drawings were acquired by the Pompidou Centre, and this is the first time they’ve been exhibited.
Displayed in the small, square graphic art gallery space, the designer used the space well, with most of the layout and design mimicking the journal’s design, using a black, white and red colour palette. Many of Man Ray’s photographs were used as background graphics, creating a frame for the journals and labels.
The exhibition is on at the Pompidou Centre Paris from 2 July to 8 September 2014.
A copy of the room brochure can be downloaded from the Pompidou Centre’s website.
Alison Spence Montillet 
Leave a comment