Dreams (Consuelo de Saint-Exupéry and Germaine Pied) (Primary Title)
Man Ray, American, 1890 - 1976 (Artist)
Sigmund Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams, which was published in 1899, encouraged the Surrealists to embark upon a systematic investigation into dreams and the unconscious. This photograph reflects Man Ray’s interest in this subject. The closed eyes of the performing subjects suggest they are asleep, while their standing postures suggest they are awake. The proximity of the women’s foreheads also suggests a personal closeness and common bond between the pair, who can be identified as the El Salvador-born writer Consuelo de Saint-Exupéry (1901–1979) and Germaine Pied (1903–1987), a French designer for Mazda, a Paris-based company that manufactured electric lightbulbs and lamps. Pied was also romantically involved with the Surrealist artist, poet, and publisher Georges Hugnet, whom she married in 1940. The participation of these two extraordinary women in this photograph speaks to their shared interest in Surrealism and dream imagery.
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