Salvador Dalí and Man Ray Photographed by Carl Van Vechten in Paris, 1934

In 1934, Carl Van Vechten took a group of photos of Salvador Dalí and Man Ray in Paris against a backdrop of posters peddling toothpaste, cheese, fabrics and other sundries. They posed for the American photographer and writer in an ersatz publicity still.

Van Vechten, whom had just launched a belated photographic career in his fifties, was especially drawn to rising stars of the cultural avant-garde (he was Gertrude Stein’s most fervent advocate) and Dalì and Man Ray fit the bill. Both artists were inextricably associated with Surrealism, even though they were sidelong associates. Man Ray never officially joined the group and Dalì had just survived temporary excommunication for apparent fascist leanings. While Van Vechten captured the duo in an optimistic stance, with Dalì enthusiastically pointing to unseen vistas, both artists would flee France.