Man RayEmak Bakia 1926, remade 1970

Emak Bakia, 1926, remade 1970, consists of an upright wooden part that resembles the neck of a ‘cello but which has had its strings replaced by unplayable, loose horsehair. The two locks of hair flow down the wooden neck and endow the piece with a sense of life. The original work consisted of the neck of an old ‘cello picked up in a Paris flea market and the horsehair of the bow used for playing the instrument. Arturo Schwarz, Man Ray’s dealer and author of a monograph on him, has written, ‘The ‘cello-neck looked worn and weathered, and Man Ray felt the urge to point humorously to its age: since it has grown old, he gave it a long white beard’ (Schwarz, p.155)… (read more)