The Gift (sculpture)

The Gift (Le Cadeau in French) is an early readymade by Man Ray (with the assistance of Erik Satie), consisting of an iron with fourteen thumb tacks glued to its sole, made in 1921 on the day of his first solo show in Paris .

Much like Oppenheim's Object, Gift is a conjunction of two alien objects. One represents domesticity and possibly femininity; the other represents carpentry and hence masculinity. This piece was made the same day it disappeared, and was meant to be a gift for the owner of the gallery it was being exhibited in. Unfortunately, it was stolen the same day.

In 1974, Ray made 5,000 replicas of Gift as a limited edition.