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Man Ray is famous for his iconic black-and-white photographs. He is less well known for his paintings. In 1934, Man Ray was a frequent visitor at the Institut Henri Poincaré in Paris. His objective there was to photograph the Institute's collection of three-dimensional mathematical models, which were used to illustrate the geometric properties of mathematical equations. The result was a series of paintings called "Shakespearean Equations", which by means of dramatic lighting and daring compositions, made the enigmatic mathematical models seem almost human. Here artistic practice meets mathematical puzzles, human bodies and merciless romanticism of William Shakespeare.

I paint what cannot be photographed, that which comes from the imagination or from dreams, or from an unconscious drive. I photograph the things that I do not wish to paint, the things which already have an existence.”
- Man Ray

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