Dada and Surrealist artist Man Ray's 1924 masterpiece "Le Violon d'Ingres" is expected to become the most expensive photograph ever sold at auction. This is the original print and Christie's estimates it'll go for $5-$7 million when it is auctioned off in May. (The current record is $4.3 million paid for an Andreas Gursky photo.) The Man Ray print comes from the collection of the late Rosalind Gersten Jacobs, an executive at Macy's, and Melvin Jacobs, former chairman and CEO of Saks Fifth Avenue. The couple was close with artists in the Dada and Surrealist scene including Ray, Marcel Duchamp, and William and Noma Copley.
"They introduced Roz and Mel to Surrealism and to other members of that creative community, who wholeheartedly embraced these two young and creative fashion retailers," says the couple's daughter Peggy Jacobs Bader. "The artists were mentors who not only inspired and guided my parents but also, essentially, were instrumental in curating the collection."
Christie's Presents the Surrealist World of Rosalind Gersten Jacobs & Melvin Jacobs (Christies.com)
