The Gift (sculpture)

The Gift (Le Cadeau in French) is a readymade sculpture by Man Ray, consisting of an iron with fourteen thumb tacks glued to its sole. An iconic work of the Dada movement, it was created spontaneously and exhibited at the opening of Ray's first solo show in Paris, at Phillippe Soupault's Galerie Six on December 3, 1921. The original is lost but its concept survives through later reproductions created or sanctioned by the artist. In his memoirs Ray recalled how the eccentric French composer Erik Satie, a devoted fan of avant-garde art, played a pivotal role in the work's creation:

The Gift (sculpture)

The Gift (Le Cadeau in French) is a readymade sculpture by Man Ray, consisting of an iron with fourteen thumb tacks glued to its sole. An iconic work of the Dada movement, it was created spontaneously and exhibited at the opening of Ray's first solo show in Paris, at Phillippe Soupault's Galerie Six on December 3, 1921. The original is lost but its concept survives through later reproductions created or sanctioned by the artist. In his memoirs Ray recalled how the eccentric French composer Erik Satie, a devoted fan of avant-garde art, played a pivotal role in the work's creation: