The title of this work, Emak Bakia, is a Basque expression meaning “Leave me alone” or “Leave me in peace.” The original version appeared in Man Ray’s film Emak Bakia, and the film itself took its title from the house of its patron, Arthur Wheeler, located in the Biarritz region of France. While staying at this house, Man Ray created what he described as a “cinepoem”—a poetic expression through film—which was released in 1926.The original object, also created in 1926, consisted of the wooden neck of a cello that Man Ray found at a Paris flea market, with a bundle of horsehair from a bow attached to it. Fascinated by spiral forms found throughout nature, Man Ray was drawn to the worn cello neck. Combined with the horsehair, which resembles the white beard of an elderly man, the object humorously evokes a sense of personality, age, and vitality.In 1970, an edition of ten silver versions was produced, of which this work is one example. Nevertheless, Man Ray appears to have preferred the approachable and familiar character of the original wooden version.