Le Cadeau is one of the most iconic works of the Dada movement and one of the best-known examples of the so-called readymade concept from the 20th century. The work was created by Man Ray in Paris in 1921 and consists of an ordinary iron whose underside has been fitted with fourteen drawing pins—a simple yet radical gesture that transforms a functional object into one without any practical purpose. Through this shift, Man Ray challenged traditional notions of art, aesthetics and utility.

The work was first presented at the opening of the artist’s debut exhibition in Paris at Galerie Six on 3 December 1921. It was originally intended as a gift to the writer and patron Philippe Soupault in thanks for his support, but disappeared on the very day the exhibition opened and has never been recovered.

Throughout the remainder of his career, Man Ray produced several versions of the work, and in his final years he authorised two limited editions: a series of eleven published by Galleria Il Fauno in Turin (1972), and a more extensive edition of 5,000 examples in 1974.