Surrealism, Lee Miller, and Blue

Improbable Walks, Season 5, Episode 5: In this episode, we check out CAMPAGNE-PREMIERE just below boulevard de Montparnasse. The street is barely one block long, but a surprising number artists and writers lived here during the first half of the 20th century, including Man Ray, Lee Miller, Yves Klein, Foujita, Elsa Triolet, and Louis Aragon! If streets are haunted by past creative shades, this is definitely a busy block. We start with the blue benches of Square Yves Klein, looking towards the atelier building where Man Ray lived & worked. Next, a double-shot of Klein's Leap, to show "the making-of"; for more info, check out the MET's commentary with a larger version of the photograph. Next, the atelier building where Man Ray lived & worked through the 1920s. For more info & great photos by Lee Miller, click here. And, Man Ray's self-portrait, here. Next, a photo of Louis Aragon & Andre Breton by Man Ray. My recent photo of Hell's Passage/passage d'enfer, followed by the impressive plaque at the Hotel Istria, where Elsa Triolet lived before moving up the street with Aragon. Next, friends Kiki de Montparnasse & Foujita, partying in the 1920s; and my favorite self-portrait by Foujita.