exquiste corpse: surrealism and the black dahlia

I've been hesitant to do this post for months 

because of the

seriously gruesome nature of the material.

But, 

the combination of Surrealism, 

modernist architecture,

and Man Ray,

was too much to resist.

So, here we go, but 

SERIOUSLY,

if you are at all squeamish,

or have a problem with very, very graphic 

crime scene photographs,

please do not look at this post.

The photos are 

EXTREMELY

disturbing,

but crucial to the story....

I will be telling the story in pictures,

for more info,

I highly recommend the book

"Exquisite Corpse: Surrealism and the

Black Dahlia Murder"

by 

Mark Nelson and Sarah Hudson Bayliss.

also

check out their 

BLOG

of the same name.

Fascinating....

André Breton, Man Ray, Max Morise

and Yves Tanguy

"Cadavre Exquis"

(Exquisite Corpse)

1927

Salvador Dalí

"Art of Radio"

1944

René Magritte

"L'évidence éternelle"

(The Eternally Obvious)

1930

Man Ray

"La jumelle"

(The Twin)

1939

 Max Ernst

"Anatomie als Braut"

(Anatomy as a Bride)

1921

Man Ray

"Minotaure"

1933

Elizabeth Short Murder

Crime scene photograph

January 15, 1947

Hans Bellmer

"La poupee"

(The Doll)

1936

Salvador Dalí

Magazine cover for

"Minotaure"

Issue #8

June 15th 1936

Elizabeth Short murder

Coroner's office photograph

January 15, 1947

Man Ray

"White and Black"

1929

Marcel Duchamp

"Éant donnés: 1 la chute d'eau,

2 le gaz d'éclairage"

(Given: 1. The Waterfall,

2.The Illuminating Gas)

[Interior view, through the peephole door]

1946-66

Elizabeth Short Murder

Crime scene photograph

January 15, 1947

Elizabeth Short 

Los Angeles

October 22, 1946

Elizabeth Short 

Los Angeles

1946

Dr. George Hodel

Los Angeles

1950s

Dr. George Hodel

Study of his Lloyd Wright home.

Los Angeles

1950

John Snowden House

1926

Hodel lived here from 1945- 1951.

In his equally fascinating book,

"The Black Dahlia Avenger"

Steve Hodel, 

George's son,

claims that the murder took place here.

Mark Nelson and Sarah Hudson Bayliss

infer that it wasn't just a murder,

but a literal reenactment

of an Exquisite Corpse....

Man Ray

"Portrait of George Hodel"

1946

Man Ray

Self-portrait with "dead nude 

from the series "La priére"

(The Prayer)

1930

Elizabeth Short Murder

Crime scene photograph

January 15, 1947

René Magritte

"Les reveries du promeneur solitaire"

(The Musings of a Solitary Walker)

1926