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Eye Candy

Inside Elton John’s Modernist, Man Ray-Filled Photo Collection

Elton John has spent the last 25 years amassing one of the most impressive and comprehensive modernist photography collections out there, featuring everything from Dorothea Lange’s Dust Bowl-era snapshots to portraits of Picasso and Matisse taken by Man Ray. One hundred and fifty of those gems have now joined Sir Elton in the spotlight thanks to “The Radical Eye,” a new exhibition of his collection at the Tate Modern until May. Get a look inside, here.

by Stephanie Eckardt
November 26, 2016 4:00 pm
Man Ray Glass Tears.jpg

The Sir Elton John Photography Collection © Man Ray Trust/ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2016

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Man Ray, “Glass Tears,” 1932.

André Kertész Underwater Swimmer, Esztergom, Hungary, 30 June 1917.jpg

The Sir Elton John Photography Collection © Estate of André Kertész/Higher Pictures

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André Kertész, “Underwater Swimmer, Esztergom, Hungary, 30 June,” 1917.

Penn Salvador Dali.jpg

The Sir Elton John Photography Collection Copyright © The Irving Penn Foundation

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Irving Penn, “Salvador Dali, New York,” 1947.

Breitenbach Portrait of Patricia, New York.jpg

The Sir Elton John Photography Collection © Josef and Yaye Breitenbach Charitable Foundation, Courtesy Gitterman Gallery

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Josef Breitenbach, “Patricia, New York,” c. 1942.

Man Ray Rayograph.jpg

The Sir Elton John Photography Collection © Man Ray Trust/ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2016

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Man Ray, “Rayograph,” 1923.

Christ or Chaos.jpg
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Walker Evans, “Christ or Chaos?” 1946.

Dorothea Lange Migrant Mother.jpg

The Sir Elton John Photography Collection

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Dorothea Lange, “Migrant Mother,” 1936.

Edward Steichen A Bee on a Sunflower.jpg

The Sir Elton John Photography Collection

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Edward Steichen, “A Bee on a Sunflower,” c. 1920.

Maurice TabardSolarised Man.jpg

The Sir Elton John Photography Collection

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Maurice Tabard, “Solarised Man,” 1930.

Tina Modotti Bandelier, Corn and Sickle.jpg

The Sir Elton John Photography Collection

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Tina Modotti, “Bandolier, Corn and Sickle,” 1927.

Edward Weston Nude.jpg

The Sir Elton John Photography Collection © 1981 Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents

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Edward Weston, “Nude,” 1936.

Herbert Bayer Humanly Impossible.jpg

The Sir Elton John Photography Collection

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Herbert Bayer, “Humanly Impossible (Self-Portrait),” 1932.

Igor Stravinsky.jpg

The Sir Elton John Photography Collection

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Edward Weston, “Igor Stravinsky,” 1935.

Ilse Bing Dancer, Willem van Loon.jpg

The Sir Elton John Photography Collection © The Estate of Ilse Bing

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Ilse Bing, “Dancer, Willem van Loon, Paris,” 1932.

Man Ray Dora Maar.jpg

The Sir Elton John Photography Collection © Man Ray Trust/ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2016

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Man Ray, “Nusch Eluard,” 1928.

Man Ray Nusch Eluard.jpg

The Sir Elton John Photography Collection © Man Ray Trust/ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2016

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Man Ray, “Nusch Eluard,” 1928.

Margaret Bourke WhiteGeorge Washington Bridge.jpg

The Sir Elton John Photography Collection Photo © Estate of Margaret Bourke-White/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

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Margaret Bourke-White, “George Washington Bridge,” 1933.