Man Ray aims for July opening in downtown Lake Worth Beach

Rodney Mayo's latest restaurant, at 522 Lucerne Ave., will double as an art gallery celebrating Dadaism.

An expansive mural in the alfresco dining room at the new Lucerne Avenue restaurant Man Ray celebrates the artists of the Dada movement. (JOE CAPOZZI)

SOME OF THE most groundbreaking artists of the 20th century are getting together for dinner and drinks in downtown Lake Worth Beach.

They’ll be hanging out at a new restaurant in the Lucerne Avenue space once occupied by The Cottage and C.W.S. Bar + Kitchen.

And these regulars want you to join them.

Man Ray, the latest addition to Rodney Mayo’s Subculture Group restaurant lineup, is coming together at the northeast corner of Lucerne and L Street. A July opening is planned, but an exact date has not been set.

Named after the influential surrealist artist, Man Ray will offer an expansive menu of Retro Americana cuisine, showcasing riffs on nostalgic, mid-century specialties from around the United States.

A whimsical craft cocktail program is being planned. And there will be plenty of artistic eye candy throughout the restaurant.

Artist Fernando Cano in front of the mural he is painting at Man Ray, the new Lake Worth Beach restaurant that’s aiming to open in July. (JOE CAPOZZI)

Among the many visual highlights: a 30-foot-wide mural in the alfresco dining room featuring 13 influential artists — from Alexander Calder and Max Ernst on the left to Marcel Duchamp and Ernest Hemingway on the right, with the guest of honor, Man Ray, in the middle.

Custom wooden tables will be cantilevered off the wall, flowing into the mural to give guests the illusion of dining with the restaurant’s namesake and his contemporaries.

As diners enjoy house signatures such as Cedar Plank Salmon with huckleberry-miso, Country-Fried Steak Frites ‘Au Poivre’ or a Chicken Cordon Bleu ‘Cubano,’ a projector will shine “live art” across the mural.

And if you look closely, you’ll notice a 14th face on the far left — a Hitchcock-esque cameo by Mayo, a fan of the Dada arts movement for which most of the mural artists are known.

Hallway to the restrooms at Man Ray (JOE CAPOZZI)

“The Dada art movement has always been of great personal interest to me,’’ Mayo told the Lake Worth Beach Independent.

“As a restaurateur, my vision was to juxtapose the iconic artists and their work from this era with an avant-garde hospitality experience, consequently serving as the inspiration for Man Ray and the creative development process that followed,” he said.

Man Ray, a spin off of Mayo’s popular Delray Beach restaurant Dada, will feature eye-catching decor inside, too, including collages of some of Man Ray’s famous works on the ceiling above the bar.

Going to the restroom will be like walking through an art gallery. Ceiling to floor artwork covers both bathrooms and a long hallway leading to them — from hand-scrawled song lyrics by The Smiths and Joy Division to lines from Kurt Vonnegut novels.

A mural of Le Violon d’Ingres, Man Ray’s famous 1924 photograph, covers a wall in the women’s restroom at Man Ray. (JOE CAPOZZI)

“Every time you walk through the art-filled space, you can experience something new,” Mayo said.

On a wall in the ladies room is a mural of Le Violon d’Ingres, Man Ray’s famous 1924 photograph of his barebacked muse, Kiki de Montparnasse, with two painted sound holes that turn her body into a violin.

Local artist Fernando Cano, who created the restaurant’s artwork, said he hopes it will introduce Lake Worth Beach visitors to the concept of Dadaism, an avant-garde, “anti-art” rebellion that emerged as a reaction against the cultural climate that supported World War One.

“Dadaism was the moment when art history changed,’’ he said. “Everything is fresh. It’s like an industrial revolution for art. I call it the Declaration of Independence for art.’’

Above the bar at Man Ray (JOE CAPOZZI)

Once the restaurant is up and running, Man Ray will add a Subculture Coffee shop in the morning and afternoon. There will be live music on the weekends.

“We’re putting the final touches on the space over the coming weeks, as we continue to navigate the ongoing permitting process with the city’s building officials,” Mayo said.

Mayo knows he could have named the restaurant after other Dada artists. He said he chose Man Ray, who was born Emmanuel Radnitzky, because he pioneered the movement.

“Plus,’’ Mayo added, “it sounds cooler than ‘Restaurant Max Ernst.’’

Restroom at Man Ray (JOE CAPOZZI)